Heart of Soul
by Shisarakage
Summary: Aizen turns Kare  HIM  into an Arrancar for a last fight against the Powerpuff Girls Z. After a battle leaves the girls dead, they awaken a new power. The power of Zanpakutou. Several OCs, with credit to DoubleCrescentMoon for his OCs. Rated for lemons.
1. New Enemies, New Questions

**A/N: Hey, everyone. It's been a while, so I figured I'd add something new. This is a cross between Bleach and PPGZ, neither of which I own. Several characters appear in this story that are of my creation, such as Takuya and Lepodalia. There are some characters, though, that belong to a friend of mine, DoubleCrescentMoon. For now, sit back and enjoy the show.**

**It takes place during the final battle between the PPGZ and Kare (HIM), and takes an alternate course to the Winter War in Bleach. Enjoy.  
**

* * *

Akatsutsumi Momoko, Gotokuji Miyako, and Matsubara Kaoru are three ordinary girls in Tokyo who share a not so ordinary secret. They are, in truth, the hidden identities of the Powerpuff Girls Z. Hyper Blossom, Rolling Bubbles, and Powered Buttercup are Tokyo's elite fighting force and primary protectors of the waking world. In order to stop Kare, a sinister being from ancient times bent on destroying humanity and corrupting the remainder of life on Earth, the girls have fought together for nearly a year since gaining their powers.

During that course of time, the girls have employed the aid of two boys who revealed themselves to be allies, and thanks to their continued assistance have managed to bring Kare to a final confrontation. However, Kare has also been indulging in the aid of another, one that the two boys have sworn to bring to justice. Aizen Sosuke.

Today, though, although Kare and Aizen are present, the girls' allies, Lunar Blade and Howling Blaster, are nowhere to be found, and have not been present for a few weeks. The girls, in a last-ditch effort to find a workable plan to defeat Kare, had traveled back in time to gather the mysterious white lights that had granted them their powers in the first place. They succeeded in making the White Lights connect, but instead of separating the demon's soul from his body, as was the original intent, it instead gave him a rather disagreeable power boost.

In a flash of crimson light, Kare had transformed from the jester-like madman they had known him as into a rather well-built man with scarlet-tinted skin. He'd retained the crab-claw hands and the unusual clown-like outfit, but his demeanor had become closer to that of a murderer of Hannibal Lector's level of wit and tenacity. The most disturbing part of the transformation was the hole that had opened up in Kare's midriff, allowing a perfect view of the world behind him. This battle would mark the first time the girls had encountered Aizen as well, making it doubly troublesome.

"Kare! This war ends now!" Hyper Blossom called out, gripping her yoyo-like weapon tightly.

"I'm through being nice." Rolling Bubbles added, her knuckles turning white under her black gloves as she gripped her bubble-staff tightly.

"Time to say 'goodbye', you ugly freak!" Powered Buttercup said, shifting her grip on her hammer.

"As if you could deal with me now!" Kare spat back, the hatred in his voice almost dripping from his very words. "DIE!"

Kare fired a laser beam so quickly the girls could only try to dodge. However, there was a soft echo of thunder from where Kare stood, and he vanished from sight. As the girls wondered where he'd vanished to, there where four quick peals of thunder, resulting in the girls being thrown back into three separate buildings. The fact that Kare had manipulated Mt. Fuji to eruption-point wasn't helping them any. However, as Kare laughed the girls' eyes began to glow with an almost ethereal light.

"I warned you, Kare." Bubbles said, lightly twirling her staff as the same light that was emanating from her eyes began to engulf her weapon, transforming it into a shorter object. A katana. "I'm done playing your games."

"Let's take him out quickly." Blossom said, spinning her yoyo so fast it began to glow. It transformed into a shield-like object, the edges of which were so sharp that when she cocked her arm back, it severed the building in two. "Ready?"

"Hell yeah!" Buttercup said, spinning her hammer in a way that made it seem like she was wielding a scythe. When the glow around her weapon died down, it had transformed into just that. A scythe. "He's going down!"

Aizen, who stood calmly in the air about a thousand feet from them merely smirked at the new developments.

"So, they've tapped into their Zanpakutou? Subconsciously, even. This is more interesting than Kare made it out to be." Aizen mumbled to himself. "Perhaps turning him into an Arrancar was not a waste of time after all."

_**"Hissatsu! Breaker Alpha!"**_ Buttercup called, swinging her scythe with such force that it launched a crescent-shaped beam of emerald energy at Blossom, who flung her shield like a frisbee at it.

_**"Hissatsu! Choco-Breaker Omega Coronet!"**_ Blossom called, and the ruby energy that coated the shield spat the object back towards her and combined with Buttercup's, then turned towards Bubbles.

"Now, you will perish Kare." Bubbles said, pointing the katana at the energy coming her way.

When the beams connected, a sapphire energy aura combined with them, turning it the purest shade of white you'd ever seen. With the extra burst of energy she felt, Bubbles pulled the katana straight back, glaring daggers at Kare as it transformed into a spear that was identical in shape to the legendary Hokuraku-Shimon of Tokugawa Hidetada.

_"Oceans break upon the stone and become my shield."_ Bubbles said, drawing a surprised look from Blossom and Buttercup, who had not known of this new addition the blonde was adding to their attack. _"Thunder crash down on the plains and become my blade. The depths of space coalesce and become my armor. **Hissatsu!"**_ As she spoke, a black robe-like outfit began to appear, albeit semi-transparent, over her Z-uniform. It looked almost identical to the outfit that one of their classmates wore during his kendo classes. **_"Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu Kuzuryusen Demashita Breaker!"_**

With that, she launched her spear in a single thrust, which reverted it back into a katana that phased into nine identical blades. Kare however, opened his claws and aimed them at the center blade.

"I don't think so, you little whores!" he ranted. "DIE!"

With that, he fired a pair of scarlet beams of energy at the girls, which intercepted the swords and created a large orb of black energy. The orb pulsed for a bit, threatening to expand at any given moment.

"What's this?" Kare asked. "He said nothing could stop a Cero!"

"Oh, great." Buttercup said, frowning. "I knew I shouldn't have held back on that."

Suddenly, and without warning, the orb exploded, killing Kare in an instant and engulfing the girls. As far as the Powerpuff Girls Z were concerned, the explosion caused them to feel unbelievable pain, then the numbness of sleep, followed by a loss of consciousness. Aizen managed to place a barrier shield around himself as the explosion ripped through the air past him, reducing a thirteen-hundred foot area of the city to nothing but a smoking crater that scarred the cityscape. It did, however, put Fuji back to sleep. What nobody noticed, however, was the sky tearing open and a man clad in white exiting sight through the hole. Nobody noticed the three female bodies that fell to the ground about five hundred feet from the edge of the crater. Nobody, that is, except for a single boy with silver hair clad in a solid black kendo shihakushou.

With a flickering afterimage as the only sign he was there, the boy stepped in and picked up the three girls, being ever so careful as to carry them by only their midriff. He even refused to look up their skirts like any normal boy would've done. Instead, he carried them to the next town over, one by the name of Karakura, where he himself lived. He brought them to the house of a friend, who was a doctor's son, but when he arrived, he met the father, a tall dark-haired man who was carrying a single cigarette in his hand, even though it was unlit.

"Kurosaki-Hakase!" the boy called, garnering the man's attention. "Please, I need you to help these girls!"

"Get them inside, Takuya." the man said. "I'll get the med kit. They look pretty beat up."

After about an hour of trying to patch them up, the doctor removed his gloves and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Takuya." he said. "I've done all I can to prolong it, but they've received mortal wounds. I don't think that even Inoue could save them."

"..." the boy, Takuya, was silent for a bit, then he looked Kurosaki Isshin in the eyes, tears falling from his own. "Thanks for doing what you could, Kurosaki-Hakase. I'll be sure to guide their souls safely, even if it is with a heavy heart."

"Come on now!" came a somewhat hearty voice from the doorway. "That's no way to talk. There is a way to save them, but it will mean that you'll be breaking your own vow."

"Anything...anything to save them." Takuya said, pulling an oddly shaped badge from his back pocket.

The badge itself was a pentagon-shaped object that had the image of a skull with a big 'X' behind it. After asking Isshin to take good care of his body, Takuya tapped it to his forehead, and in a flash, it seemed he was split in two, one form falling into Isshin's arms while the other stood with a katana strapped to his back. The form that had the katana, which was truly Takuya's soul, turned to the man in the doorway with the white-and-green striped hat and spoke softly, but firmly.

"What do I have to do, Urahara-San?"

"First you have to return their bodies to where they died, before the become Hollows, or a Hollow's dinner. Then, you have to wait until their souls realize that they're dead, and explain the situation to them. Only then can this method proceed." Urahara Kisuke said sternly, his face half-hidden behind a paper fan. "Once that's been done, lead them to me. I'll inform Yoruichi, and she'll tell Ichigo and his friends, I'm sure. We'll be waiting at my shop, specifically in the basement training hall. Do be swift, though. You've only got an hour or so for this to work."

Before Kisuke had even finished speaking, Takuya was gone, carrying the girls' now seemingly lifeless bodies back to Tokyo City. Once he'd placed their bodies in the exact positions that he'd found them in, he sat down on a nearby rock and waited. He only had about ten minutes to wait before the girls seemed to stand up out of their own bodies.

"Shit, that hurt like a mother!" Buttercup said, unaware of the fact that she now wore her civilian clothing.

"You said it." Blossom mumbled, rubbing her head. "Now I know what hamburger feels like."

"So...now what do we do?" Bubbles asked. "Did we get him?"

"I think so." Buttercup said, standing up. The soft jingle of a chain caught her attention, and she looked down. "What the crack? Where did this chain come from?"

"I've got one too!" Blossom exclaimed, her voice taking on a bit of a panic. "And we're in our normal clothes, too!"

"Oh no..." Bubbles said, a knowing look in her eyes. "Chains in our chests...our normal clothes...our...our bodies at our feet...I pray to god I'm wrong!"

"I wish you were, Miyako-Chama." Takuya said, his voice catching the girls' attention and alerting them to his presence. "Unfortunately, I've been tasked with explaining your current situation."

"Ta-Kun?" Bubbles asked. "Please tell me we aren't...we aren't...dead?"

When Takuya, who was known to the girls as their classmate and ally, only hung his head in sorrow, Bubbles, or rather, Miyako, dropped to the ground with tears pouring down her face. Momoko followed suit, but instead of putting a hand on her mouth or her eyes, her hand went straight to her stomach.

"But...if we're dead, then that means..." she mumbled. "Oh, god...n-no..."

Kaoru remained standing, but only through sheer force of will. She remained silent, but clenched her hands so tightly that she drew blood. She couldn't believe it. She was dead? That just couldn't be right.

"Please, girls. Allow me to explain." Takuya started, but before he could finish, Kaoru flickered out of view from her spot and reappeared in front of the boy. She grabbed him by the throat with her bare hands and lifted him off of the ground.

"YOU'D BETTER FUCKING EXPLAIN! WHERE THE HELL WHERE YOU?" she yelled, tightening her grip to the point of actually choking him. "WELL? SPIT IT OUT DAMN IT!"

"Kaoru! You're choking him!" Miyako cried out, grabbing the raven-haired girl's arms in a futile attempt.

"..." Kaoru said nothing, but she did drop Takuya, who began to rub his throat as he coughed.

However, he began to spit blood, which was a sign of his heart condition acting up. This alone made Kaoru burst into tears with the others, since she'd had a secret with him that she hadn't shared with the other girls yet.

"Damn it...damn it, Takuya-Kun!" Kaoru said.

"My...*cough*...my neighbor, Urahara-San..." Takuya said before breaking down into a coughing fit that left him coughing blood into his hand. Once he was able, he spoke softly, for fear of another attack. "Urahara-San wants to speak with you."

Miyako helped him to his feet and made sure he was okay. However, before he could lead them to Urahara's shop, the echoing roar of a beast from the underworld rang out, scaring the girls right down to the bone.

"Wh-what was that?" Momoko asked, terrified.

"..." Miyako was quiet, knowing what it was.

"That was...*cough*...a Hollow." Takuya said, getting the last couple of coughs out of the way. "I have to kill it before we can continue on."

"Ta-Kun, let me help you." Miyako said. "You're in no condition to fight it."

"No, Miyako-Chama." Takuya said, drawing his katana, the blade of which glowed a pale violet on one side and a pure ivory-white on the other. "You can barely see the shimmer around them as it is."

"Um, Takuya-San? What's a Hollow?" Momoko asked as the beast roared again, sounding a hell of a lot closer.

"It's a fallen soul." Miyako said. "It preys on the souls of humans, and on rare occasions they feed on the living as well. Only those with high levels of spiritual awareness can see them clearly."

A building that had been almost destroyed in the fight with Kare suddenly flew from its foundations over their heads, and Kaoru pointed at where it had been as her face and Momoko's began to exhibit fear.

"I-is that thing a Hollow?" Kaoru asked, and Takuya only nodded.

"But it's one I didn't expect to see here." he said, drawing his blade.

The Hollow, which looked like a leopard with a skeletal face that was missing the left eye, leaped into the air, lunging for the girls. Takuya, however, jumped between them and swung his blade, knocking the beast two blocks away. It remained on its feet, though, and Takuya had to smile.

"Heh. So, you're able to stand after my strike? Kudos on you." he said. "Not many Hollows can stand after getting hit by my Battoujutsu."

"Don't get cocky, Soul Reaper!" the feline beast cried, its grotesquely feminine voice echoing into the girls' ears. "I'll have you know I am no ordinary Hollow! I am Lepodalia, and I'm-"

"Yeah yeah. I've heard it before. You're an Adjuchas-Class. Think I care?" Takuya said, tossing his blade up and catching it by the blade in his left hand. "You're the first one to witness my Shikai in quite some time. Not since I became Captain, I think."

"You made Captain?" Miyako chimed happily. "Good job, honey!"

"Shikai? Adjuchas?" Kaoru was lost.

"What the heck?" Momoko was equally lost.

"I'll explain later." Takuya said. "For now, just watch."

A silvery aura began to engulf his katana, and it began to transform into a bow with a string made of pure energy.

**_"Chire, Hanabara."_** Those were the only words that Takuya said.

He drew the bow, and a single arrow composed of silvery light instantly formed. As he aimed at Lepodalia, it roared, knowing its demise was at hand.

"Th-that bow!"

"Yes." Takuya said. "The only Zanpakutou in the entirety of the Gotei Thirteen to rival Senbonzakura, as well as any Quincy."

Before Lepodalia could launch her attack, which had begun to form in her mouth, Takuya released the arrow, and it instantly shattered into a thousand tiny arrows, each the size of a rose petal. These tiny projectiles turned the beast into a pincushion, and as she tried to recharge her attack, Takuya vanished from his spot and reappeared before Lepodalia's face, bow held horizontally in both hands.

"Now leave us." He said.

He split the bow in the center, bringing the two halves, which could now be seen to have a sword's edge, and drove them into Lepodalia's eyes, apparently slaying it instantly.

"Hurry! There's not much time." he said to the girls. "Let's get you to Urahara-San's place."

As Takuya and the girls took off, the boy returning his weapon to a katana and sheathing it behind his back, Lepodalia opened a portal directly beneath her body, a single bloody paw covering the eyes, and vanished.

"You'll get yours, Soul Reaper!" she muttered. "Master Arturo will avenge me!"


	2. Hollow Strike! Takuya's Revelation

Although it had taken twenty minutes to get to Urahara's shop, the group had made it with time to spare. Takuya pointed out a trapdoor on the floor, where a charcoal black cat sat eyeing them intently.

"Girls, we have to go into the basement for a full explanation." he said, meaning he was going to tell them why he hadn't been there. Then he saw the cat. "Oh, Lady Yoruichi. I didn't expect you to be waiting for us up here."

"You'll not want to delay any further." the cat said, a deep male's voice sounding from its lips and startling the girls. "The encroachment is almost upon the girls."

"Ta-Kun..." Miyako was a bit frightened by the talking cat, identified as Yoruichi, as were Momoko and Kaoru, but the blonde had actually grabbed onto her boyfriend in fear.

"Don't be afraid, Miyako-Chama." he said. "Lady Yoruichi is able to transform into a black cat. She's a nice person, but she also happens to be right. Unless I get you down to Urahara-San, you'll be in danger far worse than Lepodalia."

Yoruichi's ears twitched at the mention of Lepodalia by name, but she opened the door with her jaws and hopped down. Takuya motioned for the girls to follow, and said he'd be right behind them. As they climbed down the ladder, the girls were astonished by the sheer size underground basement, which looked large enough to hold the entirety of the Utonium Lab, as well as Karakura High, which Miyako had visited once, and still have room left over. Once at the bottom, they noticed that Yoruichi had sat down on the stone and waited for them. However, there was a fair-skinned man with sandy blonde hair and wearing a slightly faded forest green shopkeeper's robes standing next to the cat, a simple cane in one hand, and the other holding a fan before his face, which was also partially hidden due to the striped hat he wore.

"Looks like you made it, kids." he said. "I want you to hold still for a moment, alright?"

"What the hell for?" Kaoru asked, only to have Takuya place his hand on her shoulder. "Just who are you, anyway?"

"That's Urahara Kisuke-San. He's going to place a binding spell on you so that you won't fall closer to a more permanent death while we explain what happened." Takuya said.

"..." Karou looked skeptical, but she crossed her arms and sighed. "Alright. But if he tries to put me in a skirt, I'm killing him."

"That's fine by me." Urahara said. "Anyways, here goes."

His voice took a more serious tone as he chanted the simple spell, high level though it was.

_"Carriage of thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six."_ He pointed at the three girls. _"Bakudo number sixty-one, Rikujoukuro."_

In a very short time, all three girls were visually impaled by six thick bars of light, which Momoko soon discovered meant they couldn't even move. However, it caused no physical damage to the girls, just as Takuya had promised. Then, after laying his hands on Momoko and Kaoru at the same time, Takuya placed his forehead against Miyako's and quickly muttered a single chant, one they'd heard him use more often than not during kendo classes.

_"Voice of the wind, heart of the samurai. Silver wolf. White tiger. Black falcon. Coal serpent. All motion resumes its flow, time continues onward. Bakudo number seventy-seven, Tamashii no Kyomei."_

The Rikujoukuro that held them in place remained, but the girls found they had regained their movement.

"What's going on, Takuya?" Momoko asked. "I'm so confused..."

Takuya was quiet. He made no attempt to respond even when Miyako asked him about the recent events, but when the blonde mentioned the Hollow, Urahara seemed to tense up.

"So you ran into a Hollow. That's why you were behind schedule." he said. "Even so, you shouldn't have had trouble."

"It called itself an Adjuchas." Kaoru said. "What the hell is that, anyway? Some sort of title, like the Shogun?"

"It's a bit more complex than a simple Shogunate." Yoruichi said. "But that explanation can wait. I believe you had promised the girls the answer to your absence?"

"Give me a minute." Takuya said, then sighed. "I would like to get back into my body now."

This single line confused the girls so much that even Kaoru was silent. The silver-haired boy walked off and vanished behind a rock. There was a distinct clatter of his katana dropping, followed by the thud of his head hitting the rock.

"Itai..." he muttered as he came back into view, wearing his usual street clothes, the bandages on his chest visible due to the tailored skull-shaped hole of his band shirt. "Stupid rock."

"Ta-Kun? How'd you change clothes so quickly?"

"Have a seat, and I'll explain." Takuya said, taking note that Yoruichi was tugging Urahara away from them to give them some privacy. "Anyways, the primary, and probably most crucial, reason I was absent from the showdown with Kare was because Mother had been forced to bring me to the hospital again. I only got out yesterday."

Kaoru opened her mouth to complain, but Takuya gave her a single look, and she instantly clammed up.

"The second reason I didn't make it ties into the first. I couldn't even transform into Lunar Blade without being put on the brink of hospitalization. This has also led to one particular, um...mutation, for lack of a better word."

To prove his point, he turned around, and the girls could only gape. Held close to his back so they'd been hidden from the front-view, and folded rather tightly although he now loosened up, were the very same jet-black wings that he sported once he'd become his Z-form.

"Takuya-Kun...I..." Kaoru stammered, but in the end, she only hung her head low and spoke even lower. "I'm...I'm sorry."

Making no visual acknowledgement of the brunette's apology for almost killing him earlier, Takuya unzipped the closure on his shirt, revealing the bandages in their frontal entirety.

"That's not the worst. My 'heart-condition' keeps acting up whenever there's a particularly strong Hollow nearby, and has never crippled me as much as it did before the fight against Lepodalia. Here's the truth to my heart problem. It's actually a curse placed upon me when I was an infant."

"Well...that...that still doesn't explain why Kuriko said your sister calls you a heartless lover." Momoko said.

Takuya only bowed his head slightly, smirking as he did so. He'd met Kuriko a couple times, but it was his sister, Aina, who'd always known without being told.

"That's because I technically don't have a heart, and a large portion of my lungs are missing as well." he said. "I'll show you."

He unsheathed his blade and lightly drew the tip across the bandages, which fell open like a mummy's wrappings when first removed. This revealed a nine-inch diameter hole in the boy's chest positioned where his heart should be. This hole had pierced his body completely, allowing a view of the world behind him.

Momoko and Miyako were so shocked they almost fainted. Kaoru attempted to reach for the hole, but she stopped and instead turned crimson.

"So that's it." Yoruichi said, her tail twitching slightly. "You were cursed by a Hollow, weren't you?"

* * *

While Takuya was in the midst of explaining his situation, there was another, potentially equally important, situation occurring in the Seireitei. Although there had been numerous fights occurring, there was one last battle that was preparing to take place. On one side of the battlefield atop of Sokyokyu Hill was an aquamarine-haired Arrancar, Arturo Plateado. On the other side was a ruby-haired teen boy with tanned skin and ears and tail of a cat matching the color of his hair. In his hands was a pair of cat-clawed gauntlets that had a midnight blue tint to them. At his side was a teen whose unique physique proved him to be human. This human happened to be wearing the same color-coordinated attire of the Powerpuff Girls Z, albeit a charcoal black with bone-like armoring on his chest and forearms. His golden eyes seemed to be piercing daggers at Arturo, who merely chuckled with bemusement.

"I cannot believe you Soul Reapers fell for a trick that simple!" he said. "It's almost ironic!"

"You bastard!" the redhead, Koichi, growled, the anger very apparent in his tone. "Riku-San, you ready to take this Arrancar prick to hell?"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Hayabusa Riku said, pulling a broadsword from seemingly nowhere. "Just tell me when."

"This is pathetic." Arturo said. "You, silver-haired boy. You're a human, aren't you?"

"What if I am?"

Arturo lowered himself from where he'd been hovering, the green plasma-like wings on his back flickering ever so slightly. He brought a hand up to smooth his hair out, and when he spoke, his heavy Spanish accent carried a tone that seemed to be belittling the boys.

"The two of you would defy me?" he asked, producing a black energy blade on his right hand. "For that, which is utterly sad for you, I must say that you will die."

"Heh, that's what you think, Arturo Plateado!" Koichi replied, taking an almost Wolverine-like (yes, Wolverine from X-Men) pose.

"You know my name?" Arturo was impressed. "And just how is that?"

"Well...should I tell him, Riku-San?"

"Go ahead, Kitty-Kat." Riku said, beginning to channel energy into his weapon.

"You see, Arturo," the cat-boy said, his ears standing up in a mocking gesture. "My name is Abarai-Shihouin Koichi. I'm Captain of Division Five and the twenty-third head of the Shihouin Clan, although Mother has yet to say when I become the public head."

"A Shihouin, you say?" Arturo asked. "Well, I'll have you know that the last time I was here, I fought a Shihouin woman that you remind me of."

"I know." Koichi said. "That's why I know your name. Mother told me everything about you, including your ability to mimic others. I even know that you can use Gran Rey Cero and have access to a Resureccion form."

"That doesn't change the fact that you still fell for my deception, boy." Arturo said, an evil grin beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth.

"No, but there is something that you didn't see the last time you were here."

"And just what is that, Reaper boy?"

In response, Koichi placed his left hand near his left cheek, fingers reaching towards where his ear would be if he had human ears. Riku knew instantly what the boy was doing.

"If your gonna pull that out, Koichi, let me get a good distance away." Riku said. "I'm still not used to the energy you put out in that form."

And with that, Riku sped off to the very tip of Sokyoku Hill, generating a triple-thick barrier between him and the pair of fighters. Arturo gave the human a look of annoyance, then turned his full attention towards the neko-Shinigami (Soul Reaper) when he detected a hint of familiar energy.

"You are a Soul Reaper, and yet I feel Hollow energy coming from you." he said, letting his energy blade dissipate. "Explain yourself, boy."

"Let this do the talking." Koichi said, pulling his hand across his face.

As he did, a silvery-blue light appeared, then vanished. When it did, it revealed something that made Arturo know fear. It unveiled a skeletal mask that had four stripes that formed a large 'X' on the upper portion. The jaw had a single stripe that zigzagged across in a lightning bolt pattern. All of the stripes were a midnight blue. Beneath it, the whites of Koichi's eyes had become completely black, and his golden irises had become a darker, more corrupt (for lack of better words) gold. When he next spoke, his voice carried a warble that only a Hollow would have.

**"Now you're going to vanish for eternity, Arturo Plateado!"**

What Koichi and Arturo didn't know was that Riku had been bluffing about not being able to stand during the Hollowfication's output of 'd only constructed the barrier to fully power his weapon, and now, as Koichi vanished from sight, a sudden peal of thunder accompanying him upon both vanishing and his reappearance behind Arturo, Riku dropped the barriers.

"Eat this, you Hollow mother!" Riku called, charging forward with his blade, which now hummed with a pure energy. _**"Howling Breaker!"**_

At the same time as the jet-black beam rocketed forth from Riku's sword, Koichi called out four words in rapid succession, launching a midnight-blue beam of equal strength to Riku's at Arturo.

_**"Protect, Zangetsu!"**_ His gauntlets transformed into a perfect replica of Zangetsu, albeit with a midnight blue wrapping instead of the pale linen tan. _**"Getsuga Tenshou!"**_

Arturo quickly dropped a Cero in both directions, effectively slowing the attacks, but not nullifying them. Then he drew his own blade.

"You have defied me enough!" he said, his voice giving way to a feral rage. "You see, there is no mercy for worms! _**Rise up, Fenix!"**_

In an explosion of flames, that was visually enhanced by the replicated Getsuga Tenshou and the Howling Breaker nonetheless, Arturo transformed into his Resureccion state. His wings became a blood-red and death-black coloration, and the mask fragment on his face shifted into a pair of skeletal wings, to which the energy wings seemed to fuse.

"I will send you into eternal darkness!" Arturo yelled, beginning to charge up his Gran Rey Cero.

**_"Reduce all creation to ash! Ryuujin Jakka!"_** Came an elderly man's voice. _**"Fifth head: Kuzuryujin!"**_

Arturo never got a chance to finish charging it. In a flash, almost literally, Arturo Plateado was engulfed in flames so hot that it burned the two boys, who were at least a dozen feet away from the Arrancar. He turned to see the owner of the eternal flames that had defeated him twice in the past, and scowled as he was finally erased from life.

"Damn you...Yamamoto..."

As the flames finished their job of reducing Arturo's ashes to ashes, the Captain-Commander and Captain of Division One, Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryusai glanced at the boys with a look of gratitude.

"Hayabusa Riku, Abarai-Shihouin-Taichou, thank you for keeping Arturo distracted." the old man said, the flames behind him granting him a legendary silhouette. "But for now, Koichi, please remove that mask. There is a matter of urgency that must be attended to."

**"What's up, Jii-San?"** Koichi asked, his voice and eyes not changing, even though he'd lifted the mask off of his face. **"Am I in trouble for Hollowfying?"**

"No. I'm actually grateful for it this time. I need you to go and fetch Zaraki-Taichou and his son from Hueco Mundo. Once you return, I will inform you of your part in the recent events."

**"Hai!"**

In an instant, Koichi replaced the mask on his face and tore open a Garganta under his feet, taking him directly to Hueco Mundo. After it closed, Yamamoto turned to Riku and sighed.

"As for you, Hayabusa Riku, I must ask that you return to the Human world. Your companions and fiance are in danger far worse than anything before. If not for Former Captain Urahara Kisuke's intervention, I dare say that they would all be lost."

Riku didn't need any more urging. In a heartbeat, he ripped open his own variant of the Senkaimon Gate and tore through like a bat out of hell. If the hidden undertones of impending death were true, he didn't have much time. Especially since he knew that if a woman who was with child were to become a wandering soul, the child in her womb would have only 48-hours to have some form of life to be restored, or the child was permanently lost. He knew that if he didn't make it in time, not only would he be the victim of death at the hands of the other members of his team, but Momoko would drag his soul back to his body numerous times, just to kill him again.

"Momoko..." he muttered. Then he raised his voice to a near yell as the Cleaner came chasing after him, as it always did. "I will not lose my baby!"


	3. Souls Within Souls! PPGZ Zanpakutou?

Ten minutes ago, the girls had been confused by the fact that they were apparently dead. That, and a talking cat, Takuya fighting a monster called a Hollow, a basement that was as big as a football stadium, and Takuya having his Z-form wings somehow manifested on his normal body, which had a gaping shoe-sized yet perfectly round hole in his chest. But that was ten minutes ago. Right now, the three heroines of Tokyo City where wishing that there was a way for their heads to not hurt so much from the confusion of all that was being explained.

They'd learned about the four different classes of Hollows, the normal ones that just ate the souls of the dead, the skyscraper-sized Gillian-class Hollows called Menos Grande, the Adjuchas-class Hollows, like Lepodalia, and the most powerful of them all, the Vasto Lorde-class. They'd even learned that there were some Hollows that had removed their masks in order to gain powers like those that Takuya had shown. Those ones were called Arrancar, and were apparently the primary force of a traitor to the Soul Reaper world named Sosuke Aizen.

Sosuke Aizen. That solitary name is what perked their interest.

"Wait a second." Momoko said, subconsciously placing a hand on her stomach. "Did you say that traitor's name was Sosuke Aizen?"

"I did." Urahara said, his voice sounding a bit less serious now than when he'd been explaining. "Do you recognize that name?"

"I think so." the redhead chimed.

"Momoko, are you really that dense?" Kaoru asked, lightly bonking Momoko on the forehead. "Of course we know that name, Mr. Hat-n-Clogs."

"Really now?" he asked, chuckling since he'd not been called 'Mr. Hat-n-Clogs' by anyone other than Ichigo Kurosaki. "And just how's that?"

"He...we fought against him." Miyako said.

"You fought against Aizen?" Yoruichi chimed from her spot on Kisuke Urahara's lap. "You're rather fortunate to be alive."

"Or at least as alive as one can be after being caught in an explosion of White-Light energy and whatever energy it was that this Aizen guy had pumped Kare up with." Kaoru said.

"Would you elaborate for us?" Yoruichi asked as a raven-hared girl with an expressionless look set a bowl of milk down for her. "Thank you, Ururu. I was beginning to get thirsty."

"...your welcome, Yoruichi." the girl, Ururu, said, her voice matching her face.

"Well, it's really crazy." Momoko said as Urahara asked Ururu to bring some tea for the group. "You see, Kare's a really big jerkwad who looks like a cross between a crab, a mime, and a gay clown."

"Whatever that Aizen prick juiced him with gave him a whole new look." Kaoru said, clenching her fists. "He got bigger, his skin turned red, and he got this weird bone-like mask that looked like a jawbone, and a hole looked like it punched through his neck."

"And when we launched our strongest attacks, Kare moved so fast that there was thunder when he moved." Miyako said. "He also countered our attacks with this weird red beam that sounded like it burned the air and said 'doom' when it fired. Kare called a...a...sear?...Zero?..."

"A cero." Takuya said. "Also called a 'doom blast' in some areas. It's the signature attack of Hollows."

"Really?" Miyako asked.

"Yep. It sounds like Aizen Hollowfied Kare." Takuya said. "Something that we have to deal with appro-"

The boy suddenly silenced himself, sensing a surge of panicking energy. Not a second later, Urahara and Yoruichi picked it up as well.

"Well, it's about time he got here." Yoruichi said. "Momoko, you may want to calm your boyfriend."

"What do you mean, calm Ri-Kun?"

"MOMOKO!" came the answer. Riku burst through the door, his left arm actually going through the rice paper from sheer momentum.

"I think," Ururu said, seeing Riku for the first time in his civilian clothing. "that I need to go."

When Urahara opened his mouth to ask why, Takuya spoke up first.

"I understand, Ururu-Chan." the silver-haired winged boy said. "Riku has that effect when girls see him."

"Shut it, hawk-boy!"

"They're falcon wings, Riku." Miyako said. "Hawk wings are a bit more rough."

"I hate to interrupt such a heart-warming meeting," Urahara said, casually getting their attention. "But I do believe we need to get these girls back into their bodies, or else the little ones will be lost."

"What do you mean, 'little ones'?" Takuya asked as he arched a brow.

"Well...how about I tell you once we finish the job?" Urahara said, nonchalantly waving his fan at the winged boy. "There's not much time left."

Takuya nodded, then asked the girls to sit next to their bodies, which Urahara's assistant Tessai, a giant of a man in his own right, had brought upon learning the location of their deaths. Once they were in their places, Urahara released the Rikujokouro that bound them, Yoruichi (still in cat form) leapt into Riku's arms to keep him calm, and Takuya began to run through the handsigns of his clan's dojo, chanting a spell as he did. However, the spell was not in Japanese or English, the two languages the girls understood, but in a mix of Korean and ancient Celtic. Urahara ran through the Japanese counterpart to the spell, and from her spot in Riku's arms, Yoruichi gave the English annotation (which is the one that shall be listed here due to author's lack of fluency in Japanese, Korean, and Celtic).

"The ties that bind are forever sealing. The passage of time, steady as the cycle of Sun and Moon, can be reversed. Heart of the Soul, hear our cry." Yoruichi chanted. "These innocent souls, and those that they carry, must return to their vessels. Their time is not yet upon us. The Clock of Fate shall be reversed. Exit, O call of death. Enter, O Night of Fire. Revive their bodies, revitalize their souls. Synchronize time and space with the Heart of the Soul. Bakudo number 99: Chain of Life. Hado number 99: Continuum Restitching."

As the spells were being chanted, the girls noticed that the chains coming from their chests had begun to glow a metallic shade of their respective colors. But that wasn't the only thing they noticed. They had begun to become progressively more transparent as the spell progressed onwards, culminating with them losing sight of one another completely. Finally, as the names of the two maximum level forbidden kido that one of the recent Captains in the Seireitei had created were announced, the girls lost all consciousness.

Once the spells were finished, the three casters had no option but to sit down, or in Yoruichi's case, slide to the floor and then sit down, because of the immense toll the kido had taken on them. Riku glared at Takuya and Urahara, thinking the spells had failed, but a nip on the ankle from Yoruichi snapped him out of it.

"They're not lost, Riku." she said. "It'll take some time before the girls are able to open their eyes, due to the rigormortis, but they'll be just fine."

Miyako opened her eyes after she'd lost consciousness, but the first thing she noticed was that she wasn't in Urahara-San's shop anymore. Instead, she was lying on a soft bed in a room that looked like it was carved out of coral. She began to panic, but then remembered what Takuya had said about the first time he'd learned of his sword's soul.

"It's different than how Ta-Kun described." she muttered aloud. "Besides, I don't even own a sword."

She walked over to the window and looked outside. What she saw made her jaw drop and she held her breath on instinct. She was underwater! And not just anywhere, either. She was on the ocean's floor, and yet she could still see sunlight streaming through the water. Just as she needed to take a breath, she was startled by a man's voice, slightly warbled by the water.

"I was waiting for you, Hime-Sama."

Miyako spun around and was greeted by a man with a shark-toothed grin and ocean blue hair.

"Who...who are you?" she asked, pressing herself closer to the coral wall.

"Do not fear, Hime-Sama." the man said, bowing politely in the manner of an ancient samurai. "And please, allow yourself to breathe. Here, the water is as air."

Taking a second, good look at the man, it seemed as though he was in his mid-to-late twenties, and his eyes were a soft sea-blue. His skin was finely tanned, and his build was that of a professional surfer. He wore only four garments, simple ones, yet elegant. He wore an open short-sleeved haori that was tailored to show off his midriff, and underneath the haori was a series of bandages that resembled how Takuya wore his. For leggings, he wore a pair of ice-colored shorts that extended to his knees, but no further. The man wore no shoes, but his feet were bandaged similarly to the ones wrapped around his chest, and his forearms had sharkskin bracers with the kanji of 'Ocean' emblazoned on them. His hair was shoulder length, but it was spiked back in a way that left his bangs spiked slightly forward.

"You...remind me of Ta-Kun." Miyako said, deciding to trust the man. "Might I ask your name?"

"My name is..."

Miyako saw his mouth move, but she couldn't hear his name. She apologized as she mentioned this, but he seemed to be fully understanding. He smiled as he leaned over the railing next to the window.

"Perhaps it is not yet time for you to hear my name." he said. "However, I believe there is a way around it. The former Captain can explain further. For now, let us talk."

As Miyako was talking with the ocean-haired man with a shark's grin in a coral palace underwater, Kaoru was in the middle of a city built of nothing but skyscrapers. There was, however, a lush forest filled with all sorts of flora and fauna that surrounded the city, and she was currently engaged in a staredown with a large black tiger with silver stripes and gleaming emerald eyes.

"Come on, ya overgrown housecat!" she taunted. "I ain't scared of you!"

"Really now?" the tiger asked, its voice distinctly feminine and of nobility. "Then why do your knees shake and your heart race? Come now, Matsubara Kaoru. I can smell the fear. It simply melts off of your body."

"Alright, that makes two talking cats I've met today." Kaoru muttered. She raised her voice a bit and asked, "Just who the hell are you, anyway? And how the hell did I even get here?"

"If you would allow me to approach, I would be more than willing to explain."

"Alright." Kaoru said. "But, if you try to eat me, I'll gut ya, skin ya, cook ya, and eat ya. Got it?"

Momoko was in her own little conundrum. It looked like she was stranded in a desert, and yet she wasn't too hot, and she didn't feel she was going to have any 'stuck in the desert' symptoms for a good long while. However, surrounding her were a pack of wolf-like creatures that eyed her as a potential meal, or so she thought. There was one amongst the pack that had five tails, each one having a manifestation of five different elements at the tip. From left to right, in her eyes of course, the tips of the tails appeared to be a miniature sand twister, a crackling bolt of lightning, a flickering black flame, a small cyclone with the small end aimed away from the main body, and a crystal clear tail-shaped formation of water that the sunlight somehow didn't reflect off of and blind her. No need to say she was scared senseless.

"Finally, the master has arrived." the five-tailed beast said. "Welcome to our desert, Mistress."

In a quick burst of light, the beast that had spoken vanished, leaving in its place a very beautiful woman. She wore an attire similar to any desert-dwelling tribe, but she retained the five elemental tails. On her face just below her right eye was a shimmering ruby-colored runic symbol that Momoko had seen in her dreams recently.

"Who are you?" She asked, still sounding panicked. "D-d-don't eat me!"

"Mistress, please." the woman said, sounding a bit childish for a second. "We're here because you've heard our call. At least hear us out!"

Some of the other wolf-like beasts nodded, others laid down and gave her the dreaded puppy-dog eyes. She cracked.

"That is sooo CUUTE!" she cried, grabbing one of the smaller wolves. "I wish I could take you with me when I get back home."

After huggling the poor wolf for about what seemed like ten minutes, the woman tapped her shoulder.

"Mistress, may we speak?" she asked, her wolf-like ears that replaced the human ones she should have laying back in sadness.

"Um...sure." Momoko said. "By the way, you don't have to keep calling me mistress. My name's Momoko. What's yours?"

"My name is Okami." The woman smiled. "I'm glad to finally meet you."

"Okami? That's a pretty name." Momoko said. "So, just who are you, anyway? And how did I get stuck in the middle of a desert?"

"That's simple!" Okami said, her ears perking back up as she smiled like a kid with candy. "This place is the inner sanctuary of your soul, and we, myself included, are your special gift."

"And what kind of gift is that?" Momoko asked, holding the wolf closer, which then licked her cheek a couple times.

"A Zanpakutou." Okami said. "A soul-cutting sword to fight off Hollows."

"Why won't they wake up?" Riku asked, panicking again. "Damn it, Urahara! If I lose Momoko AND our baby, I'm gonna fucking kill you so thoroughly that Kurotsuchi himself couldn't piece you back together!"

"I know that look." Takuya said as he noticed Miyako's sudden half-smile and blush. "It looks like they've found their Inner Sanctum."

"So that's it." Yoruichi said, shifting back to her human form and quickly throwing on some clothes so the boys wouldn't die of bloodloss. "I bet they're chatting with their Zanpakutou Souls right now."

Riku's jaw dropped. He'd sensed a Soul Reaper's energy coming off of Momoko and Miyako sometimes, but he thought it was just him and Takuya rubbing off on them. Urahara and Tessai began whispering between themselves about the girls, the word 'training' being heard clearly. Ururu, however, simply left the room to fetch another pot of tea, and by the time she'd returned, Takuya was gently propping the girls up on the couch.

"Shimabara-Kun..." Ururu said, catching the winged boy's attention. "I want to speak to you alone for a moment."

Takuya watched as she left the room again, then asked Riku to keep an eye on the girls. Once that was taken care of, he followed after Ururu, a single black feather slipping from his wings and landing in Miyako's open palm. When he reached the raven-haired girl, he didn't bother to ask what was on her mind. She was already turning red.

"Let me guess." he said softly. "The wings, coupled with me being topless, is getting you turned on?"

When she nodded, Takuya sighed. He put a hand on her shoulder and knelt down to be eye level with her. Then, he stretched his wings out fully and smiled.

"Tell you what." he said. "I'll get ahold of Koichi-San and have him come over. I know you want him more than anyone else on the planet. How does that sound, Ururu-Chan?"

"..." Ururu didn't say anything, only turned deeper shades of crimson. Then she leaned up against Takuya, unintentionally trapping his hand between his stomach and her inner thigh, dangerously close to her groin. "I'd...I'd like that, very much. Th-thank you."

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then turned and sped towards her room, dodging the red-haired kid, Jinta, who was the third helper at Urahara's shop, after turning the corner. Takuya, however, re-entered the room to find that Riku was pacing so much that he was actually beginning to wear the floorboards down.

"Oi, Riku." Takuya said. "How about taking out some of that anxiety in a battle against me? Good practice for the Captaincy testing."

"Fine." Riku said. "But no using Bankai. I don't wanna destroy the girls' minds after what they're going through."

"Deal. Let's go."

Miyako was soaking up as much information as she could from this shark-like man. So far, she'd learned that the trident that she'd made appear during the fight with Kare was the same weapon that this man wielded. As of right now, until she felt like waking up, he'd train her in proper usage of the weapon itself. She had learned what was different from her bubble wand in her Z-form, and what was similar. She'd also learned that she could go outside the palace and breathe the water with no problems whatsoever, and that all the animal life in the water would heed her call and could carry on some interesting conversations. But this man, although she couldn't hear him when he said his name, she felt like there was something she should know, already know...

"Hime-Sama, focus!" the man called out.

"Sorry!" Miyako said, her mind snapping back to her first attempt at the manifestation of the lightning.

"I think that's enough for now." he said. "You've been lost in thought for the better half of an hour now. What's on your mind?"

"I keep trying to think of what your name is." Miyako said, blushing a bit. "I can't hear it yet, but Ta-Kun has taught me a bit about reading lips, and I think your name might be something like Mijumaru."

"Heh heh." he chuckled, revealing his shark-like grin once more. "You'll have to thank this 'Ta-Kun' person. My name is close to that. Mizubara."

"I heard it!" Miyako said, smiling happily. "I heard it that time! Mizubara-Kun, such a pretty name!"

"Good. Now it's time for you to wake up." he said. "And remember, if you ever need to talk about something, anything, just give me a holler. I'll be here, in your soul's Inner Sanctum whenever you need me."

Kaoru had listened to the tiger speak, and it'd taken on a woman's form, leaving the ears and tail visible to anyone at anytime. She'd even heard the name, even if it was just now.

"So you're telling me your name is Lycoris, and that this place is some sort of Inner Sanctum within my soul?" Kaoru asked, attempting to summarize. "You're also saying that you are a sword called a Zanpakutou, like the blade Shimabara-Kun keeps on him at all times. Is that about right?"

"Yes, that's it in a nutshell." Lycoris said, her charcoal hair swaying in the jungle breeze that was conveyed everywhere in the city.

"Alright, so how the hell do I make ya appear once I wake up?" Kaoru asked. "And please tell me I don't have to be in a skirt when I do call ya!"

"I believe that once you awaken, you'll have your answer. And as for the skirt," Lycoris said. "That is entirely up to where you first manage to summon me. Even I can't tell you what places will wind up with a skirt, and which ones won't."

"God I hope I don't end up with a skirt." Kaoru said, subconsciously flinching. "I hate that I have to wear one as Powered Buttercup."

"I don't really like skirts all that much either." Lycoris said. "But that's because I don't want people seeing my panties. It's embarrassing beyond reason."

"I know, right? A dress would be fine, since it goes past the knees, but that's still a bit girly for my tastes."

"I'm glad I could speak with you, Kaoru." Lycoris said. "However, its now time for you to awaken. If you ever need to talk, or if you want to spar, come find me here within your soul."

"Sparring? Girl, you just said the magic word!" Kaoru said, smiling. "I'll definitely return to spar! I love fighting!"

"Okami, I wish I didn't have to go right now." Momoko said, handing the wolf she'd been huggling the whole time back to the woman. "Can I really come back whenever I want to?"

"Yes, you can." Okami said, giggling a bit, letting her childish nature show through again. "I'll always be here, and so will they."

"Alright then. I'll see you again later!" Momoko called.

The boys felt the tremendous amount of energy spiking from the girls, so they stopped fighting, sheathed their weapons, and proceeded to return. Rku took the ladder and sped up as fast as his legs would carry him. Takuya, though, chose to simply fly up, testing his wings in sustained flight. They arrived not a moment too soon. As soon as they entered the room where the girls had been resting, Momoko softly called out Riku's name as she woke. Kaoru simply snapped wide awake, as she always did. Miyako, though, opened her eyes slowly, comically mistaking Takuya, who stood before her with his wings outstretched, for an angel from heaven.

"Ri-Kun?"

"That..was interesting." Kaoru muttered.

"Please, Mister Angel. I don't want to go to heaven just yet." Miyako whispered.

"Miyako-Chama, it's me." Takuya said as Riku gave his girl a big kiss. "I'm not going to take you to Heaven, because you are my heaven."

"Please, don't be so mushy without getting a room, Shimabara-Kun!"

"Alrighty then." Urahara's voice called from the doorway. "Now that they're awake, we can begin training. When you're ready, please lead them into the basement and over to the Shattered Shaft."

"The Shaft?" Now it was Takuya's turn to begin panicking. "Taichou, are you serious? I barely managed to survive that when you threw me down there. Hell, Kurosaki-San barely survived by the skin of his teeth!"

"Don't worry, Shimabara-Taichou." Tessai said, his enormous body being an unintended source of intimidation to the girls. "They'll be in good hands."

With that said, the girls quickly gave their respective boyfriends a kiss, with Kaoru only bumping fists with them instead, then followed Urahara. Although they were nervous, the girls' curiosity was getting the better of them. What was this 'Shattered Shaft' that they were being brought to, and why did Takuya seem to be so opposed to a form of training when at his own home his parents had the house practically booby-trapped everywhere, and him taking enjoyment in disarming said traps?

Riku silently followed the girls, wondering much the same questions, but also wondering why Takuya said he'd trained in the Shattered Shaft. Something didn't add up, and Riku would be damned if he didn't believe that Takuya was hiding something besides the hole in his chest.

He was going to find out what.


	4. More New Faces! Miyako Gains Shikai?

Hueco Mundo, the Hollow World. To the untrained eye, the entirety of Hueco Mundo is an empty desert of white sand and sparse scatterings of crystalline trees trapped in eternal night. However, the harsh and cruel reality is that the white dunes were teeming with life. Most of it simply resided beneath the sands in an obscenely large cavern system that was crowded with Menos Grande. Amongst the trees above ground, located in a sector of Hueco Mundo that most Hollows stayed away from, a gigantic palace of white stone rises in the moonlight. The main structure is a large dome surrounded by five pillars. At this moment, however, the pillars are in ruins, and standing at the base of the most recently destroyed pillar are five figures.

Two are paralyzed with fear and awe. One is a woman with strawberry orange hair and a rather gifted physique. The other is a raven-haired boy dressed in the white clothing of the Quincy, an archer equivalent of the Shinigami. These two can only stand and watch in horrific shock as the third figure turns towards the fourth and fifth after mercilessly annihilating the Quarto Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer. This third figure appears to be a man, but his skin is porcelain white with black markings that spread outwards from the hole within his chest and on his face, which has the skeletal appearance of a Viking. The long orange hair that cascades down his back sways in the soft wind that now flowed ominously.

"Kurosaki-Kun, that's enough." the orange-haired girl called, her plea falling on deaf ears.

"Inoue-San, I don't think Kurosaki can hear us anymore." the Quincy said.

The fourth figure happened to be Koichi, but his current form was like nothing he'd shown Arturo Plateado. Having taken full advantage of his Zanpakutou's ability to copy the form and attacks of any Zanpakutou he fights and knows the release commands of, and even then at only half power of the original, Koichi had sacrificed his own strength and speed to copy a single Zanpakutou that he'd been grateful for being allowed to copy an old friend's blade.

Instead of the cat-boy standing before the completely Hollowfied Kurosaki Ichigo, Koichi's form was that of a midnight-blue centaur wielding a double-ended lance. Upon the top of his head rested his Hollow mask, which itself had grown curved, highly defined and extremely sharp horns like those of an oryx.

At his side was a boy that looked like a visual clone of Hitsugaya Toshiro, the Division Ten Captain, but this boy had three differences. First, his hair was jet black. Second, as he was in Bankai status, he took on a form that resembled Daiguren Hyourinmaru, but made of fire that blazed the darkest black you could imagine. Lastly, although it had dissipated a while ago, this boy's eyes took on the golden iris on black of those that Hollowfied. He was holding his free hand before his face in an attempt to recall his mask.

"Damnit, Koichi! If I'd known you could copy Arrancar Zanpakutou, I'd have asked Dad to let you go with me!" the fire-wielder said.

"Yeah? Well, not everyone can stand the fact that I can copy other people's blades." Koichi said. "Your dad included, Ryu! Hell, if it wasn't for Jii-San ordering me to stay, I'd have followed you!"

"So what's the plan? Ichigo looks like he's about ready to slaughter us and Ishida over there."

"The plan? DODGE!" Koichi roared as the Viking-Hollowfied Ichigo Kurosaki charged a true Cero in the space between his horns and launching it towards the two Vaizards.

The two actually managed to dodge the incoming beam, but the effect it had upon grazing against Koichi's weapon was a bit less than devastating. It forcefully knocked the boy back down to his normal release and had shattered the mask.

"Tch! Didn't think I'd actually have to do this." Koichi said, linking the two gauntlets together. They quickly shifted into a single katana and a small doll that had blond shoulder-length hair with skimpy clothing. "Kick about...Los Lobos."

"Oh, shit." Ryu said, quickly positioning himself between the neko-Vaizard and the two humans to protect them.

A giant pillar of deep sapphire reishi shot into the sky, and when the light faded, it revealed Koichi wearing a white outfit that looked like it came out of an old western, and an eye patch with a midnight-blue flame on it. In his hands were a pair of guns that had intricate detailing on them.

"When the hell did you steal THAT one?" Ryu asked.

"Long story."

Right as Ichigo fired another Cero, Koichi countered by firing a Cero from one of the guns, negating it. Ishida Uryu then tried to fire an arrow to distract Ichigo, but the Quincy's plan backfired. Ichigo used sonido and sliced off Ishida's left arm, then flickered behind Koichi, about to behead him when Inoue Orihime's voice cried out one last time.

"PLEASE STOP, KUROSAKI-KUN!"

Somehow, her words got through this time, and the blade of Tensa Zangetsu stopped short of actually connecting with the boy's neck, but the shockwave sent the boy flying at Zaraki Ryu, dropping the two of the Vaizard boys out of their released states.

"I-Inoue-San..."

Back in Urahara's basement, the three girls had each been bound and placed in a separate pit and told they had only twenty-four hours to escape without using their hands. And without using their Z-forms. So far, it had been about seven hours, and the only one who hadn't moved yet was Miyako. Kaoru was screaming obscenities like Kurosaki Ichigo had done, and Momoko was only pacing trying to figure out a way to climb out. However, all three girls had experienced the first encroachment, and it had only served to fuel Kaoru's anger.

The only reason Miyako hadn't moved was because she'd gone into her Inner Sanctum the moment she was on the bottom of the shaft, and she was speaking with Mizubara about the current predicament.

"I don't know what to do." she said. "That first time the chain started eating itself hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before."

"Hime-Sama, don't worry too much." Mizubara said. "All you have to do is find your own power. Search out the strength that called you to me that first time and grab hold."

"God...when I get out of here, I'm gonna kill him." Kaoru mumbled, dropping down to the ground. "Or at least his damned hat, since he treats it like a bloody princess or something."

"You must find the strength within yourself to escape and grasp that which brought you to me." Lycoris called out from Kaoru's Inner Sanctum.

Kaoru took a deep breath and focused on the city in the forest that represented her soul, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself at the edge of that city.

"Lycoris, I don't get it. Why is Shimabara-Kun allowing us to be put through this torture?" Kaoru asked, tears threatening to spill from the tomboy's eyes.

"I honestly don't know, Kaoru." Lycoris said, her ears twitching nervously as she sat on her haunches in her tiger form. "Perhaps he thinks this a test of strength that he believes you all can pass."

"Or maybe, just maybe," came a voice that sounded like Kaoru's, but with a slight warble to it, as if she was speaking from underwater and somehow sounding perfectly clear. "He thinks that you deserve this bit of pain to realize that you're a girl!"

When Kaoru and Lycoris turned to see who'd spoken, Kaoru was taken aback in shock. Standing before her was a perfect double of herself, but with skin and hair as white as Takuya's hair. The eyes on this white-skinned Kaoru were jet black with golden irises, and she wore a pure white miniskirt that had a single piece of black design on it. The crest that was on the back of the Powerpuff Girls Z vest was traced onto the miniskirt in jet black stitching. From the way she was sitting, Kaoru and Lycoris could see this girl's jet black panties, and she didn't seem to care.

"Who the hell are you?" Kaoru asked.

"Why, I'm you!" the girl said, hopping down and making a point of letting the force of the wind fully expose her panties. "Well, at least the one side of yourself that you have always hated. You can just call me Ruka."

"Wait a minute!" Kaoru said. "White skin and hair, black eyes with golden irises...you're a Hollow version of me!"

"Heh. 'Bout time you got it." Ruka said, smirking happily.

Momoko was beginning to lose patience. She had searched carefully for any kind footholds, but had found none. Then she'd thought about simply running up the sides, but she knew wasn't that talented.

"Man...what would Ri-Kun have done in this situation?" she asked herself. "Wait, I know what he'd do! Ri-Kun would simply channel his energy into his feet and simply walk up the sides, just like a ninja! Takuya-Kun would do that, too!"

"Good thinking, Momo-Chama!" Momoko heard Okami say to her. "Let's give it a try!"

Momoko stopped moving, focusing on putting all her power and energy into the soles of her feet, the she opened her eyes and took a running start. She took three steps up the side before she simply fell back down, bumping her head against a rock that stuck out.

"OWIE!" She cried. As she lay waiting for the pain to subside, she realized she'd used too little energy. "Maybe if I focus for a bit longer..."

Once she was able to stand again, Momoko closed her eyes and focused, channeling even more energy. This time, though, she waited about five minutes before attempting to climb, and when she got to about seven steps up the side, the walls suddenly caved in under her foot, then forced her back to the ground where she managed to land on her feet.

"What happened?" She wondered. "Maybe I used too much energy?"

"This is gonna be tougher than we thought, isn't it, Momo-Chama?" Okami asked.

Koichi had been ordered by Ryu to return to the world of the living, just incase his adoptive uncle would need his help. He arrived in Urahara's basement as Momoko had hit her head, and Ururu confronted him first.

"Koichi-Sama..." she started, too shy to actually ask what was on her mind. "Um...will...will you..."

"Ururu-Chan?" Koichi knelt down to be eye level with her, his disarming smile turning her on more he realized. "If you need anything, you can always feel free to ask. You know that there's only two things I've ever been able to say 'No' to you about. What's wrong?"

"Will you...um...you-you know that thing I needed help with last month?"

"Oh, where you were confused as to why you felt like wanting to touch yourself down there?" Koichi asked, his ears standing up on full alert, focused on her.

"Yeah...I um...need your help with that again." Ururu said, blushing a deep ruby-crimson color.

"Just give me a few minutes, okay?" he asked. "I need to speak to Uncle Kisuke about something first. After that, I promise that I'll help you in any way you ask of me."

"Mm!" Ururu wrapped her arms around the cat-boy and kissed his cheek in thanks.

Once she released him, Koichi went over to Urahara to check on the three girls. When he saw that Kaoru had begun to fidget in embarrassment, he had an idea. he glanced down at Momoko, who had just fallen on her butt a third time in trying to get the energy output just right, and had to chuckle at her attempt.

"So how's progress looking, Uncle Kisuke?"

"Well, as of right now, only Miss Gotokuji has made no attempt whatsoever to climb out. And based on where the chains are, I'd say the Second Encroachment is almost at hand." Urahara said. "Oh, and if you plan on helping Ururu feel relieved, I suggest you go now. Things here could get a bit messy, but I've got the girls' partners here to assist me."

"Right. Thanks, Uncle Kisuke." Koichi said, wandering back to Ururu after he'd spoken. "Alright Ururu-Chan. Let's go to your bedroom this time. It's a bit safer than anywhere down here."

"But what if the Boss needs you?"

"Good point. Something always seems to go wrong." Koichi said, then made a perfect clone using a level 99 Shihouin-Clan specific Kido. "Alright, you wait here, just in case."

"Roger that, Boss!" the clone said. "Good luck up there."

"Are you sure this is where Ichigo said he and his friends always go, Jinta?" a raven-haired girl about ten years old asked.

"Yeah, Karin!" Jinta said, his stupid grin plastered on his face as usual. "In fact, I just saw your cat-eared play-toy walk in earlier!"

"He...He's not a play-toy!" Kurosaki Karin said, blushing madly as she spoke. "He-he's just a friend...that's all."

"Karin-Chan? What are you doing here?"

Karin looked up and almost turned as red as the hair on the boy she now saw. She could still remember the first time she saw this cat-eared boy at her home, asking to see her brother.

"K-Koichi-Kun!" she said, still red from blushing. "I...I just wanted to see if you were free today. M-maybe we could hang out?"

"Sure thing, Karin-Chan." Koichi said, his ears twitching happily. "Just give me ten minutes or so with Ururu-Chan first, she needs my medical expertise on something, and she doesn't trust anyone else."

"Oh, right." Karin said, thinking that it was Ururu's first period. "I'll just wait here."

"Alrighty. Oh, and Jinta."

"Yeah?" Jinta asked, surprised that the neko-Vaizard was speaking to him outside of a mission briefing. "What is it?"

"No bothering Karin-Chan while I'm with Ururu-Chan, and absolutely no attempts at peeking in on the poor girl. I'll have multiple barriers on the door and windows, as well as one that'll explode in your face if you try to get around the barriers."

"Uh..." Jinta swallowed in shock, but nodded his understanding. "Right. Well, I'm gonna see if Urahara needs anything. Bye!"

"...Hado number ninety-nine: Jet Shard Pistol." Koichi said. "There, that should do it."

"I can't take it any more..." Ururu said, her voice wavering on the verge of tears. "Please..."

"Right. Are you ready for treatment, Ururu-Chan?"

In response, Ururu simply removed her clothing and laying down on her bed. Koichi set his Zanpakutou down next to the bed and shifted into his cat-form. Once he'd leaped up next to her, he lay down on her stomach, letting his tail lay between her legs.

"Let's get started, nyan." he said, gently twitching his tail, making the tip rub gently against Ururu's womanhood.

"K-Koichi-Kun..." Ururu said, trying not to scream in ecstasy as she pressed his tail against her. "I...I love you..."

Knowing that she had hopelessly fallen for him, Koichi smiled. She would make a fourth girl that had fallen for him, and only the second that he'd seen nude, but still the first whose nude body he'd touched.

"I guess I'm lucky that the Shihouin Clan is a polygamous Clan." he said, chuckling. "Mama would find it rather funny that I've already found four girls who want me."

Seven minutes later, sooner than he'd anticipated, Koichi was walking towards the Kurosaki household hand in hand with Karin. He was already good friends with her father, Isshin, and friends with both Ichigo and Yuuzu as well. However, Yuuzu was one of the four girls who'd fallen for him.

"I wonder how your dad is gonna take it when both you and Yuuzu become my wife." Koichi said.

"What? We BOTH can?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Koichi asked, well aware that he hadn't. "The Shihouin Clan is a polygamous Clan, which means I could have as many wives as I wanted."

"How...how many have fallen in love with you, Koichi-Kun?" Karin asked as her house came into view.

"Let's see..." Koichi said, mentally ticking them off in his head. "There's you and Yuuzu, then there's Nell-Chan. Oh, and Ururu-Chan fell in love with me, too."

"What about that blonde monkey girl?" Karin asked. "That one that always hangs around you and Ichi-Nii?"

"Oh, Hiyori-Chan? I can't believe I forgot her." Koichi said, lightly punching his head with his free hand. "I guess that actually makes it five, doesn't it?"

"I guess." Karin said, giggling.

"Wait! I forgot two others!" Koichi said. "I feel like a total lech for forgetting them, since they let me copy their Zanpakutou in exchange for promising them a spot amidst my list of future wives! There's Apache-Chan and Lillinette-Chan, too!"

"If I didn't know better," Karin said, giving him a rather sarcastic look of 'you pervy cat-man', which made him feel even more embarrassed. "I'd say you're happy to have one girl for each day of the week."

"Um...I'm happy that so many want someone like me, but as for happy to have one for each day? Well, that's a bit early to say, just yet."

"Well, he is the son of a woman from a clan that allows a man to have as many wives as he pleases." came Isshin's voice from somewhere behind them. When the two looked behind them, he raised a hand. "Yo. Anyways, I had a feeling that you girls had fallen for him, both of you."

"You're not mad are you, Kurosakii-Taicho?" Koichi asked, forgetting for a moment that he wasn't supposed to reveal that information.

"No. I'm just surprised that it was my daughters who found love before Ichigo, and not the other way around." Isshin said, Koichi's nose picking up very tiny traces of cigarette smoke on the man's breath.

"Today was the memorial of Masaki-Chan's passing, wasn't it?" Koichi asked.

"Yeah. I guess you could pick up the scent of the smoke, eh?"

"What can I say?"

"How about telling my Dad to let us walk alone?" Karin suggested. "Or to let me and Yuuzu be with you in our room, door closed, and you put a spell on the door so that he can't open it?"

Isshin paled at the thought. Koichi, however, thought it was a good idea, and asked permission to be alone with the twins.

"I suppose." Isshin said. "But, I don't want either of them to lose their innocence. Got it?"

"Yessir."

When they got to the Kurosaki residence, Yuuzu blushed at the sight of Koichi, but she asked her dad if he was staying for dinner. When she was told to ask the cat-man himself, Yuuzu looked hopeful.

"Yes, Yuuzu-Chan, I'll stick around for dinner." Koichi said, making her smile grow even bigger. "You're an excellent cook."

"Tell her what Dad said!" Karin blurted, nudging his side with her elbow, but light enough that it didn't hurt.

"Oh, right. Your father agreed to let me and you two girls hang out in your room with the door closed." Koichi said. "And, even better, he gave me permission to put up two spells, one to prevent entrance from anyone but us, and one to make it impossible to hear anything in the bedroom."

"Daddy, is that true?" Yuuzu asked, unaware that the soundproof spell was one that Koichi had baited in there, knowing that Isshin couldn't deny his daughters anything they wanted.

"Yep. Go have fun girls."

As the girls ran up the stairs ahead of him, Koichi caught Isshin mouthing the words 'you owe me big for that one' and nodded in response. He soon followed the girls, and once inside their room, he quickly put up the two barriers. When he turned around, he noticed that Yuuzu was blushing deep, deep red.

"Yuu-Chan? What's with the blushing?" he asked, reverting to the special name he had saved for when their father wasn't around.

"K-Karin-Chan said that she'd let you see her naked before." Yuuzu said shyly. "I-is it true?"

"It's true." Koichi said. "And I was thinking that maybe today I could see you."

"M-m-me? Y-y-you want to see m-me naked?"

"Mm." Koichi nodded, gently kissing Yuuzu on the forehead. "Since you two are going to be my first wives, I thought it would be nice to see you both naked today."

"Um..." Yuuzu paused for a minute, then she looked up at him, her eyes smiling where her blushing prevented her mouth from doing so. "If we both take off our clothes, I want you to do the same."

Koichi couldn't help but chuckle. It was almost like something out of a story.

"It's a deal, Yuu-Chan." he said, removing his shirt. "And to make it a bit interesting, let's stand here in just our underwear for a minute. I have something I want to try."

The girls both blushed, having stripped to their panties for the boy who was only a few years older than them before, and they'd seen him topless, but what was he thinking now? They agreed, and once they were down to their underwear, Karin giggled.

"Hawaiian-print? That's pretty bold, Koichi-Kun!" she said.

"Maybe, Karin-Chan." he said, pointing to hers. "But I never thought I'd see the day where you wore anything pink, let alone your panties."

Indeed, Karin's panties were pink, and they had strawberries imprinted all over it. But the most surprising thing wasn't Karin's panties, it was Yuuzu's. Hers were pure white with lace trim. Koichi found it hard to stay in control of himself on account of Yuuzu's panties being a bikini-cut.

"Wow, um...that's.."

"That's unexpected, Yuuzu." Karin said, unable to resist the urge to run a finger across the lace. "I bet you got these as a gift from Inoue-San, didn't you?"

Yuuzu nodded. She had gotten them on an impulse because of something Inoue had said about Koichi liking lace, but right now she was wondering what the one boy she'd fallen in love with was thinking of for his idea.

"Well, um..." Koichi cleared his throat as his tail twitched happily. "I think we can give that idea a try now."

"What kind of idea?" Karin asked.

"I was thinking that this time around, Karin-Chan, that I'd pull your panties down, then pull down Yuu-Chan's." Koichi said, gently rubbing the bridge of his nose. "After that, the two of you would pull down my boxers at the same time."

"Sounds fun." Yuuzu said. "Let's try it."

Isshin sat at the base of the stairs, his eyes locked on the picture of his late wife on the wall. Currently, though, he was holding onto a particular lion plushie and scratching behind the ears.

"Well, what do you think?" Isshin asked. "Is it a good thing that I'm letting the girls have so much freedom with that boy?"

"Well, personally, I think you should've said 'no' to him today." Kon said. "I mean, the twins are definitely becoming cuter and cuter with each passing day, but I don't believe what he said about the whole polygamy thing. Isn't that kind of illegal?"

"In most societies, it's not illegal, but it is highly disliked." came Yoruichi's voice as she entered the Kurosaki residence in her true form. "As for my son, I think that it's a good thing our clan is a polygamous one, otherwise he'd be breaking too many hearts to handle."

"Is there something I can help you with, Lady Shihouin?" Isshin asked, acknowledging his former companion. "Nothing out of my league, I hope."

"No, I just came to check on my little boy. That's all." Yoruichi said. "Which one is it?"

"Second door on the right." Isshin said. "He's put up a barrier, though."

Without even thinking about any barriers, Yoruichi headed up the stairs and knocked gently on the door, no doubt startling the three inside.

"Koichi, I know you're in there." she said. "Just remember that you have a meeting with Head-Captain Yamamoto in the morning."

Koichi opened the door ever so slightly, poking his head out, the last remnants of cat fur fading from view, as he'd just shifted back to his human form.

"I know, Mama. I'm just having some fun with Karin-Chan and Yuu-Chan." he said, blushing profusely. "B-but don't worry...we're not doing anything that would get us in trouble."

"Alright, just as long as you remember your appointment with your grandfather."

With that, the door quickly closed again, and Yoruichi left the house, heading back to Urahara's shop. She needed to check on the girls' progress.

"Is that all you got?" Ruka called out as she batted Kaoru away with a katana in her hands. "Please! Shima-Kun and Koi-Kun could put up a better fight blindfolded!"

"Shut your trap, bitch!" Kaoru yelled, her Z-form hammer now badly damaged. "God, what does it take to put you down?"

"Haaaah!" Momoko ran at the sides one more time, getting about halfway up before losing focus and falling down to the bottom again.

"Ita-ta-ta-ta-tai..." she stuttered, wincing from the pain. "Damn it...this is harder than it looks."

Before anyone could prepare, the Second Encroachment started up, and even though Momoko and Kaoru screamed in pain, Miyako managed to keep silent again, proving how much she was focused inside her Inner Sanctum. But there was one major problem for Miyako. Her Sanctum was collapsing.

"Uwaah! Mizubara-Kun, what do I do?" she asked, panicking.

"Find the ribbon that leads to the box with your Shinigami powers!" the shark-boy said. "I don't know which one that is, but maybe someone told you a hint on finding it?"

Miyako remembered something her boyfriend had said earlier that day. As she began darting through the falling boxes, she quoted him directly.

"Ta-Kun told me a big hint!" she said. " He said that 'a Shinigami's power comes from the union of his soul with that of his Zanpakutou. The ribbon that represents that union is red.' Red, just like a rose!"

With that, she spotted a bright ruby red ribbon and reached for it. Once she had ahold of the ribbon, she tugged hard, and one of the white boxes suddenly opened, and inside she saw the hilt of a katana, wrapped in ocean-blue and the guard itself was shaped like a pair of shark's teeth aimed in opposite directions.

"Mizubara-Kun, I found it!" She called.

"Good! Now remember the words!" he said, his image fading as her vision began to replace the Sanctum with the Shattered Shaft. "Remember my command!"

Miyako's voice rang out in the basement under the screams of the other girls, and Takuya was impressed.

"Oceans break upon the stone and become my shield." Miyako said, crouching in preparation for jumping out of the shaft. "Thunder crash down on the plains and become my blade. The depths of space coalesce and become my armor. Hunt them down!"

With a quick push towards the ground, Miyako actually jumped out of the Shattered Shaft and broke the binding on her arms in one motion, then a spear appeared in her hands, its shape the exact doppelganger of the legendary Hokuraku Shimon.

"Mizubara!"

"Very good, Gotokuji-San!" Urahara said, his voice betraying the fact he was very impressed.


	5. Unleash Your Strength! A New Sensei?

An hour had passed since Miyako managed to get out of the shaft with her trident-shaped Zanpakutou, and Momoko was still having trouble finding her strength. As for Kaoru, well...

"Damnit!" the tomboy screamed, her voice echoing in the city-locked forest. "Why won't you die!"

"Heh." Ruka only giggled. "There's no way you can kill me!"

Kaoru managed to mask her presence as she quickly shifted her hiding position in the undergrowth. While she slunk around, she gently placed a hand on the tiger's muzzle.

"Lycoris, I can't do this alone." she whispered as Ruka started dancing around in the air, waiting for Kaoru to make her move. "What do I have to do to call your power to my hands?"

"You must find the ribbon that represents your shinigami powers." Lycoris said, a soft purr rumbling from her throat. "That ribbon will locate your Zanpakutou, and the words will come to you naturally."

* * *

"I got it!" Momoko said, suddenly jumping up and down happily. " I know just how to get out of this stupid hole!"

Urahara smiled at Momoko's words, even though he sat far enough away to not be seen by the girls. Miyako also smiled, then poked her head over the edge.

"Momoko-San!" she called. "I made it out!"

"Way to go, Miyako!" Momoko called back. "I found a bunch of ribbons in my special place. Maybe the way out is one of those!"

"It's the red one!" Miyako said, showing her trident. "Red, just like a rose."

Miyako went back to Urahara's side as Momoko crouched down, getting ready to sprint at the wall one last time. Before the red-head took off, she focused her attention on the Sanctum within her soul.

"Okami! Help me find a red ribbon!" she said, calling out to the wolves that were scattered amongst the multitude of ribbons.

It didn't take too long. One of Okami's lupine friends had located it and howled for Momoko, holding the ribbon in its jaws. When she grabbed it, Momoko saw a single coconut fall from the tree in the only oasis in her desert, splitting open on contact with the ground. Inside, she saw a crimson hilt of a sword, and when she pulled it out, the guard was engraved with the symbols of the five elements.

"Water, earth, fire, air, and the void." Momoko whispered. "The five rings of Musashi Miyamoto."

"Momo-Chama!" Okami said, putting a hand on the Powerpuff Girls Z leader's shoulder. "You found it! Now, just call for me!"

Closing her eyes, Momoko focused her energy into her feet, then snapped her eyes open, staring at the wall of the Shattered Shaft.

"Balance the cosmos!" she cried, charging at the earthen wall. "Okami!"

As the binds holding her arms back shattered, Momoko felt her steps becoming more swift, the ribbon in her hair growing bigger, and she felt fur coat her arms and legs. When she appeared on the ground outside of the Shattered Shaft, Miyako could only gawk.

Momoko was wearing a fur coat that had sleeves and leggings made of soft gray fur and five wolf-like tails extending from the back of the coat, each one seemingly manipulated at will. Her hands and feet were equipped with gauntlets and greaves, respectively, that had sharpened claws. On the back of the fur cloak was a symbol composed of five smaller ones, the five rings of Musashi Miyamoto. The ribbon that Momoko always wore had grown to the size of being able to pass as wolf-like ears.

"Kirei..." Miyako said, entranced by the beauty of it.

"That's two girls saved." Takuya said as Riku embraced his beloved Momoko. "Now we just have to wait for Kao-"

His words were cut off as a tremendous amount of demonic-feeling energy fused with Kaoru's own erupted in a dual-colored pillar from within the tomboy's allocated shaft. It was a mix of emerald green and violet-laced strawberry-red, spiralling upwards. Kaoru began to scream in pain, and in a flash, both Takuya and Urahara had jumped to the edge of her pit.

"Well." Urahara said, surprised by what was happening. "That's a bit of deja-vu."

"Kaoru-Chan!" Takuya called, trying to call to her.

What was happening was that the remainder of Kaoru's chain of fate had began to devour itself all at once, and an explosion of a bone-white liquid began to coat her face while she was still human. Takuya was not pleased with what he saw. Knowing full well the risks, he did what he thought was right.

He jumped into the Shattered Shaft.

* * *

"Lycoris, what the hell's happening?" Kaoru asked in a panic as the entirety of the city and forest had been suddenly swallowed by a veil of darkness.

"Your other self has thrown the trial into chaos!" Lycoris said. "You must find the crimson ribbon that represents the bond between Shinigami and Zanpakutou before we are swallowed by the darkness, or else all is lost!"

Kaoru simply stood, revealing her location, and let her energy cap in an instant. This not only made the remainder of the forest around her blow away from her, but it revealed three ribbons. One was white, a dud as far as she was concerned, and the other two were both red. One of the red ones had the same shade as a rose, the other was the color of blood.

"Oh, shit!" Kaoru said. "I can't remember which one it was Shimabara-Kun said, so I'll just grab both!"

Tugging on both ribbons, Kaoru revealed not only a Zanpakutou hilt from the rose-colored ribbon, but a bone-like mask from the blood-ribbon. The mask itself appeared to be a cross between a Mexican luchadore, or masked wrestler, and a coyote's skull. Not caring at the moment, she grabbed the mask and hilt at the same time, just as her vision became nothing but darkness. She felt herself settling down on solid ground, and when she opened her eyes, she felt as though she was looking through a mask with narrow eye slots.

"K-Kaoru-Chan?" Takuya was saying, holding a hand to his face which was for some reason bleeding badly from the bridge of his nose.

"Shimabara-Kun, what happened?" Kaoru stopped short, hearing the same warble in her voice that Ruka had in hers.

She looked down at the heavy weapon that rested in her right hand. When she saw the blood dripping from it, she dropped it in shock. The claymore blade made a loud clang as it hit the rocks beneath her feet, and she saw that the hilt resembled a gun's grip and the guard looked like an actual gun.

"Oh my god!" Frantically, Kaoru grabbed at the edge of the mask she now wore and ripped it off as hard as she could and threw it as far from her as she could. Then she dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands, tears flowing uncontrollably. "I...I'm sorry!"

"I...I'm fine, Kaoru-Chan." Takuya said, his words muffled by his hands.

"It'll take a bit more than a gunblade slashing his face to take him out of the game." Urahara joked, earning him a trident resting against the back of his neck.

"Don't ever make fun of Ta-Kun getting hurt." Miyako said, her voice sounding almost as cold as it had when the girls had fought Kare.

"Easy now," Urahara said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I was just stating truth. Sorry if it came across as poking fun at him."

"Can we focus on the matter at hand, Urahara?" Riku asked, bringing the attention back to Kaoru, at whose feet the mask she'd thrown had returned, as if it were a boomerang. "What the hell just happened with Kaoru?"

"Well, it's kind of complicated." Urahara said.

"Complicated, my ass!" Takuya said. "There's nothing complicated about it!"

"Shi-Shimabara-Kun..." Kaoru started, still having not moved from her spot with the mask at her feet.

"Face it, Urahara-San." Takuya continued, ignoring the tomboy. "Kaoru-Chan ended up like both Kurosaki-San and myself because of your stupid Shaft! This is exactly why I've been against using the damned thing!"

"I can't predict everything, you know." Urahara said, his voice taking a serious tone. "You knew that even though it was the only way to save them, it was possible that one, if not more, could transform."

"LOOK AT ME!" Kaoru screamed, getting everyone's attention. "Shimabara-Kun, what the hell happened? What's that mask, who was that bitch in my Inner Sanctum that looked like me, why hasn't my weapon turned into a katana like you said it would. ANSWER ME!"

"Kaoru-Chan," Takuya said, his voice reflecting the despair. "In order, it's the mask of a Hollow. Specifically, your mask. As for the mirror of you, that would be your Hollow self. She's someone who represents everything directly in opposition to you. An example would be the fact that while you're a tomboy who loves to fight as much as the next guy, she would be a prime example of what a girl would do."

"Meaning what?" Kaoru asked.

"Well, she would be wanting to wear skirts at all times, have no concern about letting others see her lingerie, and would actually WANT to have a boy, specifically me or Riku, see her in her skivvies or less."

Kaoru paled at the thought of having something in her own soul that would willingly allow a boy to see her underwear. Even though Takuya noted this, he continued.

"The reason your Zanpakutou hasn't transformed into a katana yet is simple." he said, hoisting the gunblade that had carved a rather nice gash into his face not two minutes earlier. "Your spiritual pressure was out of control when it was released, and it was high enough to be on par with my own. These two facts mean that your Zanpakutou is like Kurosaki-San's in that it's gonna be in its released state at all times."

"All right, everyone, I think it's time we give Kurosaki-San a call." Urahara said. "He just got back from Hueco Mundo, and from what I hear, he's achieved a new level as a Vaizard."

"A what?" Momoko asked, her outfit already sealed into a katana that rested on her hip.

"Vaizard." Riku said. "It's the title given to people like Takuya and Ichigo who are able to summon not only the powers of their Zanpakutou, but also summon the powers of their inner Hollow in the form of a mask."

"Riku, you go get Kurosaki-San." Takuya said, turning towards the ladder with his wings outstretched. "I'll go see Sarugaki-Chan and her friends and let them know that there's one more to add to the ranks."

* * *

Ichigo lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. His last fight with Ulquiorra had been so taxing that he'd nearly died. Actually, he had died for a moment, but Orihime's words had somehow brought him back from the grave. Now, when he had a moment to rest, Kon was running his mouth about some wierd cat-eared kid who was in the twins' room alone with them.

"Oi, Ichigo! Ain't ya gonna do something about that kid?"

"What kid?" Ichigo asked, finally realizing the mod soul was talking.

"That red-head kid with the cat ears and tail who's currently sitting alone with your sisters in their bedroom after sealing the door with some sort of kido to make the room soundproof!" Kon yelled, pointing a suede claw at the orange-haired teen. "I thought you wanted them to be safe! What if he's trying to do naughty things with them?"

"Oh, you mean Yoruichi's kid." Ichigo said in a voice that sounded like he didn't give a damn. "He's an innocent boy. The only thing anyone would have to worry about is him asking to see Karin and Yuuzu naked."

"You bastard! That's serious!" Kon said, panicking. "Do something before it gets to be wanting to TOUCH them!"

The only response that the mod soul got was the tip of Tensa Zangetsu aimed at his face, since Ichigo hadn't dropped out of Bankai yet, let alone returned to his body.

"If you're so worried, you do something." he said, having been to tired to bother doing anything else. "I just need to lay here for a bit."

Kon took the hint and ran towards the twins' bedroom, only to have someone's foot land on his face as the door opened. The poor lion-plush bound soul could see with one eye who'd stepped on him, and he frowned mentally as he noticed that it was the cat-boy.

"Ora! Would you mind getting your foot off of my face?" Kon cried out, voice muffled by the neko-boy's foot.

"Kon-San! Just who I was looking for!" Koichi said, picking the plushy up and dusting it off. "I asked Karin-Chan and Yuu-Chan to try on an outfit I made for them, and I want your opinion on how they look."

That got Kon's attention, and his attitude changed into one of interest.

"And why would you want my opinion?"

"Because you know what girls look good in, duh." Koichi said. "Now get in here."

He set Kon down again after straightening the mane, and the mod soul followed him in. What Kon saw made him turn red.

"Y-you made those outfits for them?" he asked in awe.

"Yep! Whaddaya think?"

To be honest, Kon didn't know what to say. Somehow, Koichi had pulled off the seemingly impossible. Yuuzu was wearing a camellia-yellow, spaghetti-string miniskirt with a deep-V neck. There were a couple Celtic designs on the lower hem of the skirt, and they only served to add to the beauty of the dress. Karin, on the other hand, was where the impossible had become miraculously possible.

The tomboy of the Kurosaki household was wearing a charcoal-grey V-neck tank-top with a crimson-colored dragon emblazoned on the back. She also wore a matching skirt that came about half-way down her thighs, and the skirt had a semi-transparent lace-work pattern to it. Underneath the skirt, she wore jet-black short-shorts, and she was currently crimson because of the skirt.

"I don't know how you pulled it off, Kiddo," Kon stated as he held a paw to his nose. "But you made Yuuzu even cuter, and you also managed to get Karin into a skirt! I...I'm speechless!"

"Koichi-Kun...can I take off the skirt, now?" Karin asked. "It doesn't suit me..."

* * *

"Let's see..." Takuya muttered to himself. "Seven...Ten...ah, there's Number Thirteen."

He landed in front of a seemingly abandoned warehouse, but he could see a rather large golden-colored barrier surrounding it. Folding his wings so that they formed a sort of feathery cape, he placed his hand on the barrier and walked through it. Down below, a rather large man with short pink hair perked his head up.

"We've got company." he said, having sensed Takuya's invasion of the barrier.

"Now's not the time, Hachi!" a girl with blonde feathered pigtails said, currently engaged in a sparring match with a boy with blonde bowl-cut hair and exposed upper teeth. "Send the dickhead away! I ain't got the patience to deal with Ichigo right now!"

As if in response, a boy's voice echoed down into the training area, and the entire group of eight all called themselves to attention.

"Sarugaki-Chan? Hirako-Taicho? You guys home?"

"What's the new Kido Corps Captain doing down here?" asked a silver-haired man who looked like a drill seargent as he greeted the winged boy. "It's not time for us to join the war just yet, you know."

"Muguruma-Taichou, there's been some recent developments with the public saviors of Tokyo." Takuya said, giving the former Captain of Division Nine a quick salute, more so out of habit. "They've all three become Shinigami, but Kaoru-Chan, better known to most, including you guys, as 'Powered Buttercup', has become a new addition to the Masked Army."

"Is that true, Taku?" Hirako Shinji, the blonde bowl-cut boy asked. "I mean, that Miss Matsubara is now a Vaizard?"

"I saw the transformation with my own eyes," Takuya said, pointing to the brand new scar on his face, still edged with blood. "And nearly lost them along with my nose."

"So why the hell'd you come to us?" Sarugaki Hiyori, the pigtailed blonde, asked. "Can't you have Kurosaki train her or something?"

"You guys have a better and more effective method than any Kurosaki-San would utilize." Takuya said. "Besides, I needed an excuse to see you guys again. Yukitaka is giving me a bit of trouble, and I need to re-subdue him."

"Re-subdue?" Muguruma Kensei, the drill seargent, asked. "What the hell caused you to lose control?"

"I think it's simple, Kensei." came the voice of Otorobashi Rojuro, known as 'Rose' amongst his friends. "In his most recent battle against the Sexta Espada, Takuya here nearly fell, and he ended up panicking."

"Whatever!" Hiyori barked. "Just do what he asked, alright? Hachi! Give him a five-layer one this time!"

As the large pink-haired Ushoda Hachigen brought up the quintuple-thick barrier as requested, Hiyori donned her Hollow mask, which resembled an oni with a single horn in the center of the forehead and a row of crimson diamond markings on either side.

"As for you, Bird-Brain! Draw your damned sword and let's get it on!"

Kensei watched as Hiyori began her intense training regimen, sighing in annoyance. The he turned to a green haired girl who wore an outfit that was reminiscent of Kamen Rider.

"Mashiro, I want you, Rose, and Love to come with me to check out Urahara's newest recruits." he said. "If what Takuya here said is accurate, we ain't got much time before she gets a bit carried away."

"Gotcha, Kensei!" Mashiro said.

"Why me?" a slightly tanned man with a star-shaped afro asked. "Why not Shinji or Lisa?"

"Because only Shinji and I were able to help Hiyori and Hachi last time Takuya came to train with us." a girl in a schoolgirl outfit said, flipping the page in her magazine almost casually. "Now quit whining, Love, and get going."

* * *

A bit of a blunt end, I know. Don't worry too much, because **_Heart of Soul_** will swing back with a new twist in the next exciting chapter, so hang tight!


	6. Unstable Souls! Deja Vu in the Shoten?

Las Noches, the palace among the dunes of Hueco Mundo, two days after Takuya had spent six hours training with the Vaizards. Sitting on the throne-like chair in the main hall is Aizen Sosuke. However, he is wearing something new. Instead of the white attire with black trim that marked him as the leader of the Espada, he wore what looked like a solid white garment, splitting into four sections from his waist down. At the center of his chest was a dark-purple cross with a softly glowing gem in the center. It opened into a wide collar that was purple on the inside edges and had a jagged hemline, as if it had been torn open. His hair was also considerably longer than when he'd last set foot in public a week ago, and his eyes had become a deep gold color set against a dark amethyst-purple background. His sword lay haphazardly at his feet. Standing before him is a white-haired man with a face only describable as snake-like.

"So you've left that boring white mask behind, have you?" the snake-faced man asked, his voice sounding somewhat childish. "Aizen-Taichou?"

"Of course, Gin." Aizen stated flatly. "Now that I've left the chrysalis stage, it's time to begin the next phase of my plan."

"The second battle in the Living World, right?" Gin smiled. "Who are we bringing this time?"

"I'm sending one of the new recruits to rile up those three girls that gave Kare trouble." Aizen said, a smirk on his lips. "In fact, he should be arriving in Tokyo any minute. Sit back and watch, Gin."

* * *

No sooner than Aizen turn on the special view screen in Las Noches was there a large explosion in the heart of Tokyo's main harbor. The first person on the scene of the explosion was a monkey clothed in a black cape that surrounded its body and a large hat, reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln's, but with no brim, a domed top, and alternating white and violet stripes. At his side were three teenage boys. One was a red-head dressed in a red tank-top and black jeans. He wore a crimson hat with the brim aimed behind him as his waist-length hair fluttered in the wind from the wake of the explosion. To the red-head's left was a blonde with his hair cut short. The blonde wore blue jeans and a sapphire blue t-shirt with the words 'Punk-4-Life' emblazoned in electric blue and outlined with thick white borders. He also wore sunglasses with jade-green lenses that had a mirrored coating. Strapped to his back in a makeshift sheath was a katana with an orange hilt wrapped in black. The guard was a perfect circle carved from a tiger-eye stone and set in titanium plating. There were four pointed blades set at points on the guard to make it resemble a shuriken. On the right of the red-head was a boy with spiked black hair and forest-camo cargo pants. He wore a matching camo t-shirt with a jet black long-sleeve shirt underneath. The eyes of these three teens matched their hair color, and all three wore combat boots that Japan's armed forces would want. The red-head and the blonde simply stared at the carnage with no visible emotions, but the boy with black hair pointed towards where the disaster had occurred. He wore fingerless gloves with rivets at the knuckles.

"That was a hell of an explosion." he said. "I wish I could say it was our doing, but that bastard in white with the axe beat me to it!"

"Do not worry yourself." The monkey said. "You boys would make much better explosions. For it was I who made you, and it is I who knows your destructive powers."

"That may be, Mojo," the red-head stated. "But you know that Butch has a point. I mean, after Kare was royally ass-whooped by those bratty girls, the four of us became the masters of this town's dark side."

"Can it, Brick!" the black-haired boy, identified as Butch, said. "Hell, if it wasn't for Boomer siding with those girls and making us argue, I'm sure we'd be in the same boat as them."

"And that would be what?" Brick asked, turning his ruby-red eyes on his brother.

"Six feet under." Butch stated. "You saw their corpses. Mojo did too."

"So did half of the world." the blonde, Boomer, said in a deadpan voice. "And now their bodies have vanished without a trace."

"Enough talking of the past!" Mojo said. "The past can not be changed, for it has become history, and history can not be changed because it is in the past. We must now find out who that person is! Go, and beat their ass if needed!"

"Don't have to tell us twice!" Brick and Butch said simultaneously.

As the three boys flew towards the man in white, Boomer couldn't help but think something was definitely off about the past week. Sure the girls had bested Kare and killed him, but for them to die in the process? He wouldn't accept that. And just where had the two called Lunar Blade and Howling Blaster run off to? And now this punk blows up the one place where the blonde had called good enough to be protected. He paused in the air for a moment while his brothers went on. He looked back and saw that Mojo had run off, no doubt to attack some store and get food for the next week. Seeing that nobody was paying attention to him, Boomer flew north-east, heading towards the Utonium Laboratory. If anyone had answers to these screwed up events, it was the Professor.

Brick and Butch noticed that their blonde brother had ditched right as they landed, but they didn't really give a rat's ass. All that mattered to them was the punk standing before them and wielding an axe that would rival Paul Bunyan's own.

"Alright, prick! Talk!" Butch said, taking a ready stance. "Who the hell are you?"

"And why did you fuck over the one place that actually liked us?" Brick added, pointing to the still burning sign with the words 'Heian's Marine Wall' on it. "Their food was damned good!"

"This is the first line of defense this pathetic town throws at me?" the man asked, a heavy Russian accent on his tongue. "Well, Comrades, I destroyed this tiny building because I felt like it."

Now that Brick took a moment to look at the man while Butch started a ranting dialogue with him, he noticed his attire was definitely not of Japanese origin. Sure he had sandals on that reminded the red-head of samurai, even if they were black with white trim, but that was the only thing even remotely oriental. The pants that this man wore looked like they were American Navy SEAL standard issue, but the knees were blown out, as if he'd slid across a gravel road at sixty miles an hour. The only thing he wore above his waist was an open vest, revealing a perfectly round hole in his chest where his heart should be. On his face was a bone-white thing that resembled a hawk's wing, sweeping up towards and vanishing into his rust-blonde hair. His hair cascaded around his shoulders, and a piece of black ink could be seen just inside the left neckline.

"Butch, look at this guy." Brick said, grabbing his brother's shoulder as he gave the 'bird' to the stranger. "Notice anything familiar?"

"Familiar? What are you, on crack or something?" Butch said, then spotted the hole. "Hey, wait a second. He's got a hole in his chest like that Shimabara fucker has!"

"Exactly." Brick lowered his head slightly, allowing the bangs that poked through the hat to frame his eyes and shade them with a serious tone. "If he's anything like Shimabara, we'd better not drop our guard."

"You don't say." was all the raven-haired boy said.

"What's your name, axe-dude?" Brick asked sternly, flexing his right hand as he prepared to summon his weapon.

"Just call me Jjacques Cossack." the man said with a thick Russian accent, tapping the shaft of his axe against his shoulder. "I'm a real beast, you know. An Espada. You think you can take me with just the two of you?"

A slender blade with a hexagonal guard appeared in Brick's hand while a set of three inch spikes extended from the rivets on Butch's gloves.

"We've fought against this city's greatest heroes and held our ground." Brick said. "Someone like you is just a waste of time."

"But, since you doubt our power," Butch added. "We're gonna give you a private lesson!"

* * *

Boomer arrived at Professor Utonium's laboratory as his brothers began their battle. When he knocked, a boy about a year or so younger than himself opened the door, only to slam it shut and throw the deadbolt.

"Hey, shorty! I just wanna ask your old man a couple questions." Boomer said. "Besides, I'm here alone. My brothers are fighting some screwed up logger down by the bay, and Mojo is probably robbing some grocery store."

"Ken, who's at the door?" came the voice of the Professor.

"It's Boomer!" the kid who'd slammed the door shut said.

"Let him in. He's got a good reason, I'm sure."

When the door opened again, Boomer saw that the genius scientist was covered in soot and his hair was frizzed out. The blonde entered quietly and sat down in the empty chair by the coffee table and spoke sternly.

"Professor Kitazawa, I need to ask you something." Boomer said, addressing the adult by his last name. "Where are the Girls?"

"They're in Karakura right now." the Professor said. "So are Takuya and Riku. They said something about giving the girls special lessons to train their new powers."

"DAD!" Ken was suddenly angry. "Why are you telling him that? He's our enemy!"

"Actually," Boomer stated, taking off his sunglasses and set them on the table. "About that. I've weighed it out, and I've decided to abandon Mojo and my brothers. I'd like to form an alliance with you and the girls."

"Why would you turn against your family?" Ken asked. Noe he was gaining curiosity.

"The RowdyRuff Boys has become just some lowlife, street-thug filled gang." Boomer said. "Brick and Butch are turning to darker things, and Mojo regularily buys and sells stuff on the black market. I want out, and they don't give a damn."

"What about that explosion earlier?" Professor Utonium asked. "Didn't you guys have something to do with it?"

"Hell no! Heian's was the only place with seafood that was better than decent." Boomer said, an angry glare forming on his face. "Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Where exactly are the girls? You said Karakura, but where in Karakura?"

"I was told to keep it secret." the Professor said. "Ken and Peach only know that they're in Karakura. I won't even let them know."

"I've got something to persuade you, then." the blonde said, standing. "I know that Shimabara and Hayabusa both have swords that change shape with a command phrase. This sword, which was at my side when I woke the day Kare challenged the girls in that red lobster body of his, has the same property. Watch."

With both Utonium and Ken Kitazawa watching, Boomer drew the blade from the sheath, which was just a thick cardboard case used for steel bars and yet thin enough to fit snugly to the blade's guard. The blade itself, when it became visible, was jet black, with the cutting edge being a crimson red, as if the sword itself had been forged from blood and coated in ink before being sharpened. Taking a stance that both Kitazawas knew to be for battoujutsu, the blonde's voice sounded stern, yet merciful at the same time.

"Embrace the Storm of Twilight." he said, preparing to draw the blade from the invisible sheath at his hip. The blade gave a soft crimson glow with the next word. "Masamune."

When the glow disappeared, Boomer's weapon had transformed into a sickle-shaped blade with a long chain attached to the hilt. Where he held the weapon was attached to the underside of three spikes on the back of the blade. The blade itself reminded the Professor of a narrower version of the giant cleaver that Kurosaki Ichigo wielded. Attached to the far end of the chain, which itself appeared to be ten feet in length (but possibly longer due to the coiling around the boy's feet), was a large kunai knife. The blade of the sickle-end and the kunai-end had an intricate design reminiscent of runes, and at several spots along the chain itself there were flickers of black lightning.

"Masamune - Rengoku Zetsuei." Boomer said.

"Well, that's interesting." came a heavily Texan-accented female voice. "Didn't think there'd be a Shinigami in this backwater hick-town. Aizen-Sama didn't say anything about that."

* * *

"You sent her, too?" Gin asked Aizen as he watched the new development.

"Of course. An assault on two fronts is better than a solitary disturbance." Aizen smiled darkly. "Don't you agree?"

* * *

"Who the heck are you? Ken asked as he backed away from the wall and hid behind his father.

"And just what is a Shinigami?" the Professor asked, feigning ignorance.

Boomer didn't give the woman time to respond. He threw the kunai towards the intruder, piercing through her right shoulder and pinning her to the wall. However, despite the injury, she didn't seem fazed. She wore a V-necked t-shirt with the left sleeve torn off, exposing a Gothic-style '8' on her shoulder. The shirt stopped an inch or so above her navel. She also wore what looked like white form-fitting jeans that flared out once they past the knee, ending as wide as Takuya's shihakushou pants. She wore black sandals with white trim, and her arms were sheathed within white fingerless gloves that stopped halfway up her upper arm. When she only laughed at being pinned to the wall, Boomer demanded she explain.

"And here I was griping about needing a new shirt with no sleeves." she said, ignoring Boomer. "Now I have an excuse to just tear it off."

And tear off the sleeve she did, exposing a hole in the shoulder, through which the kunai had passed. This only elicited a stern frown from the blonde as he tugged the chain, making the kunai return to him. The woman only glared at him, despite keeping her smile.

"Didn't your Mama ever teach you to be nice to a lady?" the woman asked, pulling a strand of her black hair from her face. "Especially one as beautiful as I am?"

"I wouldn't know." Boomer said. "I was raised by a maniacal monkey with a small-time-crime complex."

"What's your name, lady?" the Professor asked.

"Me? Ain't nobody really cared bout that." the woman said, her pale lavender eyes looking them over like choice cuts of meat. "But I suppose if you must know, my name is Sierra. Sierra de la Rivierra. Don't forget it, pumpkin."

With that, the lady vanished, a peal of soft thunder marking her passing. Boomer resealed his sword and spoke again, this time with clear disdain and irritation in his voice.

"I'll ask you once more. Where are they?" he asked as he sheathed his blade.

"I'll tell you." the Professor said, having thought that he and his son would've died if Boomer hadn't been there. "They're staying at the home of a colleague of mine, Urahara Kisuke. The boys are there, too."

"Thanks." Boomer took off without another word.

* * *

"Why the hell won't this bastard die?" Brick screamed.

"What the fuck is he made of?" Butch asked. "I feel like I'm hitting steel."

"I'll let you two in on a secret." Jjacques said, looking as if he'd not broken a sweat while the two RowdyRuffs were exhausted. "There are ten of us Espada. The closer the number to zero, the stronger we are. I admire your ability to stand up to me for so long, but here's some news. There are two of us here."

"What?" Brick asked, right as a raven-haired woman appeared next to the Russian Espada.

"Jjacques, honey, let's blow this joint. I'm bored, and the Shinigami I found wasn't even close to Captain-Class." she said, turning to display the number '8' on her left shoulder.

"Fine, Sierra." Jjacques said, opening a hole in the sky itself, a dark vortex within it. "But first, let me show these two what they just fought with."

"Whatever, just make it quick." Sierra said before vanishing into the hole.

"Behold, Comrades. The man you fought with has this rank." Jjacques lifted the vest away from his neck, revealing the number '5'. Brick and Boomer were shocked. "Just so you know, Comrades, the power of each rank is exponentially different. Example, Octava is twice as powerful as Novena. Septima is twice Octava's power. Enjoy your last free days of life."

The hole he'd torn closed as the RowdyRuff boys gawked. They were gonna need help if that guy came back, and they knew it. After all, without Boomer they were only so strong. As Butch began to call out obscenities towards the now vanished strangers, Brick thought of the only group he knew that was skilled enough in fighting to form an alliance.

"Butch, we need allies." the red-head stated flatly, his weapon vanishing from view. "And there's only one group that I can think of that's strong enough."

"What are you getting at?" Butch asked, still angered about the food shop being nuked.

"That guy was toying with us." Brick said. "If we want to stand a chance, we need strong allies to train with.

"Brick, I don't like where this is going."

"Do what you think is best to train." Brick turned and lifted off the ground slowly. "I'm going to see if Ace will agree to an alliance."

* * *

In Karakura, however, in the basement of a certain shop owner, six people were training like there was no tomorrow. Momoko was learning the basics of swordmanship from Riku, keeping her blade sealed for the moment. Miyako was sitting cross-legged with her blade laying across her lap unsheathed. Takuya sat in an identical fashion facing her. However, his blade was standing in the ground between them as opposed to on his lap. Takuya was teaching her about an old method of communicating with her Zanpakutou.

"This method I'm going to teach you is called 'Jinzen'." Takuya said. "It's the only way to carry a proper conversation with your Zanpakutou. You must learn to focus your mind, letting it become one with your blade."

"Is there some special trick to it?" Miyako asked while the two of them ignored the intense training session between Momoko and Riku, as well as the near battle-like session occurring between Kaoru and Urahara.

"If you can call attaining a serene state of mind a special trick, I guess." Takuya sighed, opening his right eye to look at her. "I'm sorry for having to be rough with you during this process, but I must. Now, FOCUS."

Miyako nodded and closed her eyes. Takuya waited about two minutes, then stretched out his left leg in an attempt to kick his girlfriend in the forehead. However, much to the boy's annoyance, she easily dodged.

"Why did you attack?" she asked, upset that he would do such a thing.

"Dodging proves that you aren't focusing!" Takuya said, deflecting a stone with his foot as it hurtled towards him from Riku's direction. "You're leaving your senses open to your surroundings. That's not gonna fly!"

"All you told me to do was meditate and focus on my sword!" Miyako said, raising her voice at him. "I don't see _YOU_ focusing!"

"Tch..." Takuya knew he would regret his next action for a while. For the first time in his life, he was about to knowingly use a vulgar word in front of a girl. "This ain't about me, Miyako! Now stop complaining and put your full attention on the blade! And for the love of god, _FOCUS YOUR DAMNED MIND_!"

The instant he'd finished speaking, Miyako slapped him, her nails leaving thin cuts across his cheek. The two of them said nothing, having both known that he deserved it, and began to focus again on their weapons. This time, though, they both became immune to the sounds of the world around them.

Meanwhile, Urahara was beginning to have trouble keeping pace with Kaoru. He'd already been driven to unleash his Zanpakutou's true form, and now the raven-haired tomboy saw it clearly.

"The hell is that?" she asked.

"This?" Urahara raised the blade so she could see it perfectly. "This is my Zanpakutou, Benihime. She's definitely something, isn't she?"

"That cane-sword of yours just shot the same thing that Kare had!" Kaoru screamed, her reiatsu pulsing a bit. "What the HELL are you?"

"Me? I'm just a simple shopkeeper that happens to have a bit of knowledge about swordsmanship."

"BULLSHIT!" Kaoru screamed, swinging her weapon wildly at him.

As Urahara kept easily dodging her attacks, Kaoru felt her anger reach a breaking point. Before the final battle with Kare, she'd seen Takuya reach his hand up to his face while fighting several times, but had never actually seen anything change about him. However, at her request an hour ago he had performed the same action. This time, when he pulled his hand down his face from eyebrow to jaw, she (along with the other two girls) had seen a mask form from an emerald-edged sapphire light. They had been so shocked that they'd forgotten its appearance already, but Kaoru decided to try the same maneuver.

"I'm gonna turn that hat of yours into ribbons!" Kaoru yelled, reaching her free hand up to her face, gathering energy. When she pulled her hand away, dragging the energy down and to the right, her vision went black as her body seemed to stop all motion.

"Well, this isn't good." Urahara said in a deathly serious tone. "I'd better freeze her for a bit."

As Urahara set Benihime down and began to recite the proper incantation for the bakudo he was about to use, a soft unearthly growl reverberated from the raven-haired tomboy's throat.

"_Walls of iron sand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end_. Bakudo number seventy-five. **_Gochutekkan_**."

At the moment he stopped speaking, five gigantic pillars made of iron appeared, tied with a thick chain through the tops, and pinned Kaoru's body to the ground. The arrival of the binding spell was enough to draw Riku's attention from his fiance, and he cast his own binding spell to aid Urahara's, just in case.

"Bakudo number seventy-nine. **_Kuyo Shibari_**!"

Eight dark holes suddenly appeared in formation around Kaoru as a ninth burst into existence from the center of her back. Momoko saw this and became frightened. She dropped her Zanpakutou and stepped away from Riku, slowly.

"What...what did you guys just do to her?" Momoko asked, her voice wavering on the verge of tears. "You didn't..."

"No, she's still very much alive." Urahara said, returning to his usual sing-song voice. "These two spells are binding spells, much like Rikujokoro, but stronger. She attempted to summon the strength of her inner Hollow before she'd attempted to tame it."

"Because of that, we immobilized her body, just in case she goes berserk." Riku added, sheathing his blade. "With our flyboy in the middle of Jinzen, all we can do is keep her bound."

"What's Jinzen?" the redhead asked, confused.

"If you want to know, ask Takuya when he's done with his girls." Riku said.

"Wait, what? You said 'girls', as in more than one." Now the self-proclaimed leader of the Powerpuff Girls Z was thoroughly stumped. "I only see one."

"I think the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover' applies here." Yoruichi said, startling the soon-to-wed couple. "All Zanpakutou have their own souls. It is not unheard of for a Shinigami to have a Zanpakutou of the opposite gender as themselves."

"...Eh?"

"I'm gonna get some air." Riku stated flatly. "Momo, just let Yoruichi-San explain it to you."

"Wha-? Wait, Ri-Kun!"

"Don't worry about anything, Momoko." Yoruichi said. "I will give a simple explanation. Will you listen?"

"I...yeah." Momoko sat down as Yoruichi began to speak, setting her sword on her lap.

"You know as well as any person that when a woman has a baby, there is an equal chance for it to be a boy or a girl." As Momoko nodded, Yoruichi smiled. "It's a similar situation with Zanpakutou. You see, even though a Zanpakutou is a part of your soul, it is also its own person. But that is a discussion for another time."

"So...what about Takuya-Kun?"

"His Zanpakutou happens to be a female." Yoruichi said. "He mentioned that he became a Captain, right?"

"He said something like that." Momoko stated, raising a brow. "But what's that got to do with his sword being a girl?"

"One of the requirements for becoming a Captain is the ability to use Bankai." The former Captain of Division Two held up a paw at Momoko's attempt to speak. "Bankai is the full potential and true form of any Zanpakutou. In order to achieve Bankai, one must first be able to manifest the Zanpakutou's spirit in our dimension, as opposed to sending one's mind to the world within their soul to speak with the spirit."

"You lost me."

"Do all children these days have trouble keeping up with even simple explanations?" Yoruichi mumbled. She then raised her voice. "Why don't I just have him demonstrate?"

The black cat scampered over to Takuya, who'd just finished Jinzen and was now watching his girlfriend, and tapped his leg.

"Sensei?"

"I'm having difficulties explaining Zanpakutou genders to Miss Akatsutsumi." Yoruichi said, sighing in defeat. "Would you please ask Hanabara to step into our world for a time?"

"I figured this would come up." Takuya said. He then leaned backwards and looked at the red-head. "When Miyako-Chama's done with Jinzen, I'll show all three of you what Hanabara looks like. So sit tight for a bit, kay?"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was an explosion of familiar reiatsu from Kaoru's body. This grabbed everyone's attention, since it destroyed the two binding spells easily.

"Well, that's not good." Yoruichi and Urahara said simultaneously.

As Tessai, who'd been introduced to the girls before the training began, tried to initiate another bakudo, Takuya called out loud enough to break Miyako out of Jinzen.

"_EVERYBODY GET BACK!_" He screamed.

After Momoko stared at him for a moment, she (along with everyone else) obeyed, getting back far enough that when Kaoru's body stood, her mask giving a soft emerald glow from the eyeholes, the only living thing she saw in range was the silver-haired teen. When she attacked, Takuya blocked her weapon with a shimmering wall of semi-transparent light.

"Bakudo eighty-one! **_DANKU!_**" he hurriedly called out.

Then his hands gave a soft green glow as he clapped once and leapt into the air, luring Kaoru's blood-crazed and seemingly mindless body after him. She stopped short as a wall of white pillars barred her from her target. Behind the wall, several more layers were being added as Takuya continued to speak.

"_Brethren-in-arms withdrawing for the distance of 8 sun and standing still. Blue bolt, white bolt, black bolt, red bolt. Sinking into the ocean together seeking redemption._" A blue roof formed on the structure as he slung a single blue bar across the back of the thing. "_**Ryubi no Jomon!**_"

A warbled and crazed voice came from Kaoru's mouth as she began to attack the wall.

"This ain't gonna stop me, Hun!" She cried as unknown to her, a windmill-shaped barrier appeared on her left, a honeycomb-like object comprised of hundreds of smaller hexagons appeared behind her, and an obelisk with numerous panks curled to look like a crudely formed bird with wings making a lampshade-like structure appeared above her.

"Then I'll add these." Takuya said. "_**Koko no Jomon! Kikai no Jomon! Hoyoku no Jomon!**_"

"That brings back memories." Urahara said. "I wonder how he got Ushoda-San to teach him that?"

"Shut up and watch, Kisuke." Yoruichi said as a rectangular darkly colored prison-like barrier formed around Kaoru.

"What the hell is this?" Kaoru screamed. "What are you planning?"

"Just a battle to keep you in your place until Kaoru-Chan comes back." Takuya said. "_**SHIJI NO SAIMON!**_"

He stepped up to the windmill barrier and allowed it to open enough to let him in. Once inside, he closed it again and drew his sword.

"Oh, you'll pay!" Kaoru screamed, her voice still not her own.

"What the hell is this?" Riku had just returned to the Urahara Shoten basement only to see a familiar barrier around Kaoru and Takuya. "Shiji no Saimon? Why the...you know what, screw it. I don't wanna know."

"You may not, but I sure as hell do!" came a voice from behind Riku.

When the teen turned to see who'd spoken, he saw a teen with bright orange hair wielding a giant cleaver with no guard and no proper hilt. He was in standard Shinigami robes, and a determined look was in his eye.

"Kurosaki-San? What are you doing here?" Urahara asked.

"I felt the energy of one of Hachi's kido and thought there might be trouble." Kurosaki Ichigo said. "But all I see is Takuya and a girl with a Hollow Mask inside that barrier."

"I can explain." Miyako said, tapping Ichigo's arm. "That is, if you want me to, Kurosaki-Kun."

"Eh...Gotokuji-Chan?" Ichigo was stunned, but then he saw the Zanpakutou in her hands. "Yeah, you'd better explain. Start with the Zanpakutou in your hands."


End file.
